Abstract
Agnew's (1985) revised strain theory argues that delinquency results from the inability to escape legally from painful or aversive situations. There is much indirect support for the theory, with experimental and survey data indicating that delinquency is associated with a wide variety of aversive situations. The experimental data, however, are of questionable generalizability and the survey data are primarily cross sectional in nature, leaving unresolved the issue of causal direction. This study examines the relationship between environmental adversity and delinquency using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of adolescent boys. A distribution-free method (arbitrary generalized least squares) is used to estimate a covariance structure model depicting a reciprocal relationship between adversity and delinquency. The results support the revised strain theory: environmental adversity has a causal effect on delinquency, but delinquency does not have an effect on adversity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agnew, R. (1985). A revised strain theory of delinquency.Soc. Forces 64: 151–167.
Anderson, C. A., Anderson, D. C. (1984). Ambient temperature and violent crime: Tests of linear and curvilinear hypotheses.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 46: 91–97.
Bachman, J. G. (1975).Youth in Transition: Documentation Manual, Vol. I, Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Bachman, J. G., O'Malley, P., and Johnston, J. (1978).Youth in Transition, Vol. VI, Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Bandura, A. (1973).Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Barnett, L. R., and Nietzel, M. T. (1979). Relationship of instrumental and affectional behaviors and self-esteem to marital satisfaction in distressed and nondistressed couples.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 47: 946–957.
Bentler, P. M. (1985).Theory and Implementation of EQS: A Structural Equations Program, BMDP Statistical Software, Los Angeles.
Bentler, P. M. (1987). Drug use and personality in adolescence and young adulthood: Structural models with nonnormal variables.Child Dev. 58: 65–79.
Bentler, P. M., and Bonnett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures.Psychol. Bull. 88: 588–606.
Bentler, P. M., and Chou, C. (1987). Practical issues in structural modeling.Sociol. Methods Res. 16: 78–117.
Berkowitz, L. (1978). Whatever happened to the frustration-aggression hypothesis?Am. Behav. Sci. 21: 691–708.
Berkowitz, L. (1982). Aversive conditions as stimuli to aggression. In Berkowitz, L. (ed.),Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 15, Academic Press, New York.
Berkowitz, L. (1986).A Survey of Social Psychology, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.
Cloward, R., and Ohlin, L. (1960).Delinquency and Opportunity, Free Press, New York.
Cohen, A. (1955).Delinquent Boys, Free Press, New York.
Elliott, D. S., Huizinga, D., and Ageton, S. S. (1985).Explaining Delinquency and Drug Use, Sage, Beverly Hills.
Fagan, J., Piper, E. S., and Cheng, Y. (1987). Contributions of victimization to delinquency in inner cities.J. Crim. Law Criminol. 78: 586–609.
Fishbein, M., and Ajzen, I. (1975).Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass.
Gold, M. (1966). Undetected delinquent behavior.J. Res. Crime Delinq. 1: 27–46.
Gray, L. N., and Tallman, I. (1987). Theories of choice: Contingent reward and punishment application.Soc. Psychol. Q. 50: 16–23.
Hayduk, L. A. (1987).Structural Equation Modeling with LISREL, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore.
Huba, G. J., and Harlow, L. L. (1987). Robust structural equation models: Implications for developmental psychology.Child Dev. 58: 147–166.
Kessler, R. C., and Greenberg, D. F. (1981).Linear Panel Analysis: Models of Quantitative Change, Academic Press, New York.
Mardia, K. V. (1970). Measures of multivariate skewness and kurtosis with applications.Biometrika 57: 519–530.
Massey, J. L., and Krohn, M. D. (1986). A longitudinal examination of an integrated social process model of deviant behavior.Soc. Forces 65: 106–134.
Merton, R. K. (1938). Social structure and anomie.Am. Sociol. Rev. 3: 672–682.
Mueller, C. W. (1983). Environmental Stressors and aggressive behavior. In Geen, R. G., and Donnerstein, E. I. (eds.),Aggression: Theoretical and Empirical Reviews, Vol. 2, Academic Press, New York.
Rodman, H., and Grams, P. (1967). Juvenile delinquency and the family. In the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice (ed.),Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime, General Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Schafer, W., and Polk, K. (1967). Delinquency and the schools. In the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice (ed.),Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Short, J. F., and Strodtbeck, F. L. (1965). Group Process and Gang Delinquency, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Thornberry, T. P. (1987). Toward an interactional theory of delinquency.Criminology 25: 863–891.
Wheaton, B. (1987). Assessment of fit in overidentified models with latent variables.Sociol. Methods Res. 16: 118–154.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Agnew, R. A longitudinal test of the revised strain theory. J Quant Criminol 5, 373–387 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01062560
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01062560