Coping with strain cognitive coping emotional coping

Coping with strain
 Cognitive coping
 Emotional coping
 Behavioral coping
Coping Strategies
 Cognitive coping:
 ignore and reduce the seriousness of the negative relationship, increase positive
outcome/reduce negative outcomes, accept responsibility
 Example:
 Blaming yourself for the negative relationship.
 Emotional coping:

 Alleviate the stressor/strain
 Example:
 Meditation
 Drug use
 Behavioral coping:
 Reduce, remove, or satisfy negative emotions
 Example of conventional coping :
 Ending the negative relationship
 Skipping school
GENERAL STRAIN THEORY (GST) EXPANDS THE REASONS FOR STRAIN
RESEARCH
Classic Strain and General Strain theory
Research on classic strain
 STRAIN PERSPECTIVE BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT AN ECONOMIC
CONDITION IN THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE COUPLED WITH A CULTURAL
CONDITION OF ANOMIE GENERATES STRAIN THAT RESULTS IN SOME FORM OF
ADAPTATION.
CLASSIC STRAIN: MERTON
 STUDIES HAVE NOT FOCUSED TO ADAPTATION OF STRAIN
 Which adaptation is most likely linked to crime?
Classic strain
 Based on the theory: individuals who expect to receive less education than they aspire
will experience strain and therefore will be more likely to commit CRIMES.
Research on classic strain
 EXAMPLE OF MEASURES:
 Aspiration: “How much schooling would you like to get eventually”—Kubrin et al.
2009
 Expectation: “How much schooling the respondent actually expected to obtain”
—Kubrin et al. 2009
 Findings: “those whose aspirations exceeded expectation were no more likely to be
delinquent than those with identical aspirations and expectations. In addition, “the gap
between aspirations and expectation is not a significant predictor of delinquency b/c not
many subjects experienced a gap between aspirations and expectations”
 HOW WOULD YOU TEST MESSNER AND ROSENFELD’S INSTITUTIONAL
ANOMIE THEORY?
Research Messner and Rosenfeld: Institutional Anomie
VERY DIFFICULT TO TEST: CROSS-NATIONAL TEST WOULD BE THE IDEAL WAY
 Therefore, cross-national data that is data looking at different
nations is very difficult because data collection systems and crime
definitions are not similar enough to compare.

 It is very difficult to generalize institutional anomie theory to crimes
—such as robbery or burglary because all the research is done on
homicide.
 Most studies have looked at homicide (counties, metropolitan
areas and nations).
Research on General Strain
 RESEARCH – SOME ASPECTS OF THE THEORY ARE SUPPORTED IN SOME
SITUATIONS
 KEY COMPONENT IS NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL STATE WHICH TENDS TO BE
WEAKEST LINK
 Anger mediates some of the effects of strain on crime. Many other studies find that strain
has an effect on crime without the role of anger.
 Most studies focus on trait anger, that is “angry people” not situational anger
 In addition, there is a weak link with frustration and depression
 PROBLEMS/ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS
 MANY RELATIONSHIPS CAN EASILY BE DERIVED FROM OTHER
THEORIES, ESPECIALLY SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY.
 Example: relationship between people. But one looks at weak bond
freeing people to commit crimes and the other looks at a pressure to
commit crime.