The Strain Theory and its Impact on Institutions and Organizations

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
SOCIOLOGY
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1SOCIOLOGY
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
The Strain Theory......................................................................................................................2
Organisation and Institution.......................................................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
Reference:..................................................................................................................................8

2SOCIOLOGY
Introduction
Sociological theories endeavour in determining the various causes of human
behaviour in a particular given setting. It is important to understand the societal characteristic
and instinct of human beings to analyse their behaviour in various environments and social
settings.
The strain theory states that the society has created immense pressure on the
individual human beings by making certain standards and norms that must be followed or
achieved in order to be part of a social order ta a given point of time (Akers 2013). In other
words an individual human being must achieve certain material and social accomplishments
in order to get the moral permission to be in that particular society. These yardsticks of social
achievements may be different in various social settings. Therefore the yardstick for a
successful man may be different in Australia and it may be different in African countries. The
settings of the societal norms is not determined by a group of individuals or one single
individual but it is determined by historical evolution of the society. The strain theory states
that the individuals commit crime or become deviant under the social pressure to follow such
norms in order to be called successful. The social deviance theory states that there are
individuals of different categories who are deviants or conformists (Downes, Rock and
McLaughlin 2016). The deviants can be farther divided into categories such as people who do
not follow the means but conform to the ends, people who follow the means but are not
happy with the ends, and people who are not following either the means nor the ends. The
deviants may be deviant because of many factors. Some are rebel from the very beginning of
their conscious journey, and some become rebel because of various incidents that happen in
the course of their life.