How General Is General Strain Theory?: Assessing Determinacy and Indeterminacy Across Life Domains

• NCJ Number: 216371
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 43 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 297-325
• Author(s): Stacy De Coster; Lisa Kort-Butler
• Date Published: November 2006
• Length: 29 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses how assumptions of "determinacy" (personal motivation determines specific forms of deviant adaptations) and "indeterminacy" (social circumstances predispose a person toward many forms of deviance) apply to Agnew's general strain theory, which posits that stress leads to negative emotions and ultimately to delinquency.

Abstract

The article opens with a discussion of general strain theory, explaining that it suggests a type of determinacy between stress and delinquency behavior that is dependent on the domains in which stresses and delinquency occur. Next, the authors discuss theoretical arguments from the sociology of mental health concerning stress "spillover" (stresses that exist in one life domain create or intensify stresses in other domains), which the authors believe are central for understanding "soft determinacy." "Soft determinacy" refers to stress and delinquency domain matching that is tempered to some degree by processes of stress spillover, aggression displacement, and triggered aggression displacement. Aggression displacement occurs when an angered individual behaves aggressively toward an innocent person because he/she has been blocked from aggression toward the actual source of stress. Triggered aggression displacement refers to situations in which a person experiences anger provocations that preclude retaliation and then is exposed to a second provocation that may or may not be in the same domain. The second provocation is the triggering provocation, which may be mild. The authors then review psychological research on aggression displacement and triggered aggression displacement, which is also relevant for understanding "soft determinacy." Based on the aforementioned analyses of general strain theory, the authors constructed and tested hypotheses from data obtained on a sample of southeastern middle school students. The findings support the authors' arguments and suggest that further analysis and development of "soft determinacy" is warranted. 3 tables, 14 notes, and 62 references