Strain theories have been subjected to a number of theoretical and empirical criticisms,
resulting in a decline in strain-oriented research. A review of those criticisms finds that�…

One of the key assumptions of Agnew's general strain theory (GST) is that various factors
condition the effect of strain on delinquency. Past research examining this question�…

This chapter provides an overview of general strain theory (GST), describing those strains
most likely to result in delinquency, why these strains increase delinquency, and the�…

The past decades have seen a revived interest for criminological strain theories. Among
these theories Agnew's general strain theory (a social psychological interpretation of�…

Strain theory has recently been reformulated into a theory of broader scope. In this
revitalized version, called general strain theory, strain is hypothesized to have three distinct�…

Abstract Pressured Into Crime: An Overview of General Strain Theory by Robert Agnew
provides an overview of general strain theory, one of the leading explanations of crime and�…

Strain theory does not play a significant role in recent developmental theories of crime. Such
theories are instead dominated by biological and psychological theories and, on the�…

This chapter describes the factors that contributed to the development of general strain
theory (GST) and, in doing so, sheds additional light on the theory. It discusses the more�…

When Hirschi's classic work, Causes of Delinquency, was published in 1969, anomie-strain
theories of one type or another dominated sociological criminology. While such theories took�…

My 1985 article presented a revised strain theory, which stated that delinquency results from
the blockage of pain-avoidance behavior as well as the blockage of goal-seeking behavior�…