Another Look at Classic Strain Theory: Poverty Status, Perceived Blocked Opportunity, and Gang Membership as Predictors of Adolescent Violent Behavior |
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| Authors: | Paul R. Vowell David C. May |
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| Affiliation: | Recently received his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University and is currently an assistant professor of sociology at Texas A&M University Kingsville. His research interests include the theoretical integration of crime and delinquency theories, human ecology, quantitative methods, and the spatial analysis crime data.;Is assistant professor and criminal justice program director in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW). He received his Ph.D. in sociology with emphasis in criminology from Mississippi State University in December 1997. His primary areas of research and teaching include fear of crime, firearms and crime, public opinion concerning legalization of prostitution and other crimes against the moral order, and causes of juvenile delinquency. |
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| Abstract: | An extensive amount of criminological research has focused on the relationship between the inability of adolescents to achieve financial success or middle-class status through legitimate channels and their subsequent involvement in delinquency. This genre of research is commonly recognized as structural-strain theory. As the efficacy of this theory has periodically been questioned, this study addresses some of the methodological and theoretical issues associated with structural-strain theory. Using a sample of 8,338 adolescents from a southern state, we use a structural equations model to test a hypothesized sequence ultimately leading to delinquent behavior. We believe that this method is more appropriate than more traditional methods (e.g., multiple regression) for investigating some of the linkages specified in previous strain models. Our results support structural-strain theory, though the hypothesized model has more predictive power among European American than African American youth. Explanations are given for these differential findings, and recommendations for future studies are suggested. |
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