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39 Criminology 9 (2001)
A Test of General Strain Theory

handle is hein.journals/crim39 and id is 21 raw text is: A TEST OF GENERAL STRAIN THEORY* LISA M. BROIDY University of New Mexico Tests of general strain theory (Agnew, 1992) have focused primarily on the relationship between strain and crime, ignoring the intervening role of negative emotions and legitimate coping strategies. This research provides a more comprehensive test of general strain theory, including measures of both anger and other expressions of negative affect, as well as a measure of legitimate coping. Results suggest that strain, negative emotions, and legitimate coping are all related, although not always in the expected direction. Moreover, results indi- cate that the nature of the link among these three variables and criminal outcomes are shaped by the types of strain and negative affect individu- als experience, and by sex differences in the links among central variables. Strain theory has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, primarily because of Robert Agnew's introduction of a revised general strain theory (Agnew, 1992). In this revised version of strain theory, Agnew attempts to overcome the inconsistencies that have plagued traditional strain theories, while remaining true to the underlying argument that strain lies at the root of delinquent/criminal behavior. This paper offers a test of general strain theory that focuses primarily on the aspects of the theory that distinguish it from earlier versions of strain theory proposed by Merton (1938), Cohen (1955), and Cloward and Ohlin (1959, 1961). Specifically, this paper tests general strain theory by examin- ing relations among strain, anger and other types of negative affect, legiti- mate coping, and illegitimate outcomes (crime/deviance), while controlling for various demographic and personality variables thought to condition the relationship between strain and criminal outcomes. OVERVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Early strain theories have been criticized for their limited scope-these theories evolved to focus almost exclusively on the delinquent behavior of lower class boys in urban environments (Cloward and Ohlin, 1959, 1961; Cohen, 1955; Merton, 1938). Early strain theories also rest on a number of questionable assumptions. For one, they assume an inverse relationship between class and crime. This assumption remains controversial (see * I would like to thank Charles Tittle, Laura Dugan, as well as Bob Bursik and the anonymous reviewers for their comments on earlier drafts of this paper. CRIMINOLOGY VOLUME 39 NUMBER 1 2001

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