ith those holding the most power defining norms. Norms are merely a way to further promote the interests of the groups that maintain power and status (Brown[a], et al., 2001, p. 64).
We see that MertonÆs anomie strain theory helps understand the tendency of McCall to engage in a life of deviant behavior and crime. The relationship between crime and class is a complex one that denies simple explanation. However, McCallÆs being born into a lower social stratum doomed him to exposure to crime, drugs, violence and the lack of a two-parent, educated and economically secure household compared to those in high social stratum. While strain theory is criticized for viewing crime as necessarily a problem among the lower classes, in one way we see that McCallÆs example demonstrates another important assumption of strain theor
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