THE ANOMIE-STRAIN PERSPECTIVE ON FEMALE CRIMINAL OFFENDERS

    The goal of this paper is to shed some light on how the anomie-strain theory effects female property crime offenders. The author of this paper intends to approach this by using the classical and structural school of thought.

    Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist. In 1893, he introduced the concept of anomie in his book, The Division of Labor in Society. Anomie is defined as a state where norms (expectations or behaviors) are confused, unclear or not present. Durkheim felt that deviant behavior was caused by normlessness. A breakdown of social norms and where norms no longer control the activities of members in society refers to anomie.

Second, individuals cannot find their place in society without clear rules to help guide them.  Without them could result in dissatisfaction, conflict and deviance.  The harder the time, the greater the anomie.  For example, there could be higher rates of crime, suicide and deviance.  Anomie is the result when a society breaks down such as in times of prosperity and depression.

Third, an American sociologist named Robert K. Merton borrowed Durkheim's anomie theory and created one of his own called strain theory.  Merton's theory differed from Durkheim's in that the real problem is not created by a sudden social change, but rather by a social structure that hands out the same goals to all its members without giving them equal means to achieve them.

Fourth, deviant behavior proposed by Merton is caused by lack of cohesiveness between what culture calls for and what structure permits.  Society emphasizes certain goals such as education and hard work.  Society emphasizes certain means to reach those goals.  Unfortunately, everyone does not have access to the means to achieve these goals. This is where anomie comes in.

Fifth, five modes of adapting to strain caused by the restricted access to socially approved goals and means is presented by Merton.  Everyone who has been denied access to society's goals does not become deviant.  Conformity is the most common mode of adaptation.  When achieving those goals the individual accepts both the goals as well as the means of achieving them.  Those who choose innovation design their own means to get ahead but have few legitimate means to achieve these goals.  They have to get ahead by robbery, embezzlement, etc.

Sixth, the third adaptation, ritualism, involves individuals who dedicate themselves to their current lifestyle and abandon the goals they once believed to be within their reach.  They abide by the rules and have a safe, daily routine.  Retreatism is where individuals give up not only the goals but the means too.  They often become alcoholics and drug addicts.  The last adaptation is rebellion.  These individuals create their own goals and their own means, by protest or revolution.

Finally, by using these theories, the author of this study will attempt to explain why women fall into a life of crime.  

[PART 2 TURNED IN ON PAPER ONLY]

[Comments: Don't turn in this long of an assignment again without it being on floppy disk or a digital attachment to an email.  It simply takes too long for me to type it in.  What you did type is a good topic, but you've written the Literature Review section instead of the Introduction.  You also had several punctuation errors.  I fixed some of them.]
[Comments: You reviewed 4 sources in what you turned in for part 2. I'd like to get it in digital (floppy, email) format.]

Last updated: 11/06/02