Anomie, Normlessness, Strain Theory and Relative Depravation Theories of Criminality

Robert K. Merton developed the concept of "anomie", which is normlessness.  Anomie was first introduced by Emile Durkheim as an explanation for the breakdown in perceived societal conditions bring about feelings of "personal loss, dissolution, and lack of a sense of belonging" (p.157, Schmalleger 2012).  Merton took the notion of anomie in a different direction, focusing on the juxtaposition of societal definitions of success and the means to obtain that success, and what would result if those were unattainable.  Merton's focus was on the strain between the seeking of goals and society's blocking of the means to be successful (e.g. poverty).  His theory was referred to as strain theory, from the perceived strain between societal goals and the means to attain them.  Merton outlined 5 different classes of goals and means disjuncture, categorizing those with goals and means as "Conformity", with goals but without means as "Innovation", without goals but with means as "Ritualism", and those without either as "Retreatism".  Finally, he categorized "Rebellion" as people who rejected societal's goals and standard norms of success, regardless of their means.

Robert Agnew was one of the leads in creating the General Strain Theory (GST) as a comprehensive perspective, where law-breaking is a coping mechanism dealing with negative social relations caused by various strains.  He furthered the research 14 years later by proposing six central assertions to General Strain Theory that provide for specific conditions of strains and those indicators of which strains were most likely to lead to crimes.  The LA Riots after the Rodney King trial would be an excellent example of the General Strain Theory, whereby the black community in Los Angeles felt disenfranchised and unjustly treated, resulting in widespread crimes of revenge and theft to "right a wrong" cause by perceived injustice.

Messner and Rosenfield took a different tack on anomie by proposing Relative Deprivation, and suggest that the inconsistencies in the American Dream are at the basis of most criminal activity, where the perception is that the ends justifies the means, and that "anything goes" in the pursuit of success.  Relative Deprivation would point to any culture where the "haves" and "have nots" live in close proximity.  Judith & Peter Blau also provide further insight into relative deprivation by stating that relative deprivation creates frustration, anger, hostility and social injustice when experienced, and that it is a perception when assessing their position in life compared with those things and people they already know.  In our media-driven culture, this circle of perceived affluence is very large indeed.  This is the principle of distributive justice, where anomie may be caused from feeling of social injustice based on skewed distribution of rewards (wealth).

Schmalleger, Frank. (2012). Criminology Today, An Integrative Introduction. Prentice Hall, Boston.