Strain Theory

Critically assess a theory of interest (Strain Theory), as well as apply
criminological theory to real-world phenomena.
First, you will select the criminological theory of your choice. You may use any theory we have discussed or will discuss in this course (your textbook has a reference table of theories). You will introduce the theory and explain how it originated. You will state who the theorist(s) is. You will summarize the major components of the theory. You will end this paragraph with a thesis statement about the support that the theory has received (strong support, partial support, little to no support); this thesis statement will be based on the empirical articles you review in the next part of the paper.
Next, you will read two empirical articles which test your theory. The articles may not be summaries of the theory; the researchers must have performed a study. You will describe these two articles independently of one another. For each study, you will discuss what the authors were specifically studying, their hypotheses, their research method, their sample, and the main findings of their study. Do not worry about the statistical analyses; tell me what they found in plain language. Be sure to describe the study sample and all findings from the analyses. You will conclude your discussion of each article by stating whether or not the study supports your theory and to what degree (e.g., it supports one part of the theory but not the other parts, all parts were supported, no parts were supported).
Next, you will provide two circumstances in which the theory is useful for explaining crime and one circumstance in which the theory is not useful for explaining crime. This can either be rooted in the context of the articles you read, or as a more general statement. For this, take into consideration the limitations of the theory you chose as well as the context surrounding how the theory was developed. What situations/crimes can the theory explain well? Are there situations/crimes in which the theory cannot be applied or doesn’t make sense? Discuss these questions and be sure to address exactly why or why not the theory is useful.
Finally, you will conclude your paper by summarizing the arguments you made throughout. This includes the extent of empirical support based on the two peer-reviewed articles you found as well as an overview of the usefulness of the theory.