Victimization, Crime Propensity, and Deviance: A Multinational Test of General Strain Theory

Abstract

General Strain Theory (GST) identifies victimization as one of the strains most strongly related to crime which, like other sources of strain, is moderated by individual and social factors. Recently, Agnew extended the theorization of coping strategies by proposing that the effects of strain on deviance are conditioned by individual and social factors in combination, rather than singly, which he labeled crime propensity. Tests of the propensity hypothesis have so far yielded mixed results, highlighting the value of additional studies. Whereas previous tests have focused on single countries, either in North America or Asia, we test the propensity hypothesis using data on adolescents in 25 countries collected through the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3; n = 57,760). A series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions show that the relationship between victimization and delinquency/substance use is conditioned by the effects of individuals’ crime propensity, thereby supporting the recent extension to GST.

Assessing the Victim-Offender Overlap Among Adolescents in Rural China

“…Crime or deviance is a possible way to cope with strain and related emotions. GST researchers have treated victimization as a typical facet of exposure to negative stimuli that results in crime/delinquency (Barbieri et al, 2019; Teijón-Alcalá & Birkbeck, 2019). Alternatively, GST can inform a pathway that connects crime/delinquency to victimization.…”

“…Differential association/learning theory holds that deviance is acquired in the course of interaction with deviant others via the learning of their motives and techniques (Sutherland & Cressey, 1978). Schreck et al (2008) once opined that this theory is geared toward explicating offending instead of victimization, because the idea of learning vulnerability to victimization does not make sense.…”

Do Negative Emotions Matter? Paths From Victimization to Cyber and Traditional Bullying From a General Strain Theory Perspective

“…Otherwise, they may themselves become a predator and seek suitable targets to alleviate their negative emotions through perpetrating the same behaviors by which they were victimized. Drawing on the GST framework, some empirical studies have examined the effects of victimization on criminal coping and found a significant relationship between them (Baron, 2004; Craig et al, 2017; Hay & Evans, 2006; Moon & Morash, 2017; Ostrowsky & Messner, 2005; Teijón-Alcalá & Birkbeck, 2019).…”

An Examination of Adult Female and Male Offending within the Context of Strain

“…The loss of positive stimuli refers to the removal of a positively valued resource, such as a family member. The third, the presentation of negative stimuli, refers to the addition of a negative event or influence, such as delinquent peers (Agnew, 1985;Ford, 2014;Teijón-Alcalá & Birkbeck, 2019). In the current study, the primary focus is on the first type of strain, as we are focusing on the influence of socioeconomic strains.…”