The ‘teen’ age is one of the most fragile, vulnerable, and volatile ages of a human being’s growth. Teenagers and juveniles, in general, are delicate people. The kicking in of hormones that is closely followed by different social forces can ‘tear’ a juvenile apart. It is a stage that everyone has to undergo in their life. The society is the most fundamental structure that a juvenile can associate with. Indeed, it is through the society that a juvenile can learn certain morals and virtues. It is also through the society that a juvenile will learn how to take drugs or how to steal. Thus, it all breaks down to decisions made by juveniles which may not be entirely correct. The society is very instrumental in shaping the type of decisions that are made by juveniles. The strain theory in sociology intricately explains delinquent behavior from a multidimensional perspective.
Juvenile delinquency is the tendency of juveniles to participate in illegal activities. According to the law, juveniles are individuals who have not attained the statutory age of majority. Usually, the threshold age is 18 years. Delinquent behavior is associated with a lot of aspects. There are experts who attribute the behavior to psychotic issues and therefore use a psychological approach. On the other hand, sociologists have theories that explain the same element. In most cases of delinquent behavior, however, the theories formulated by sociologists have found more context and relevance than the psychological approach (Agnew, 2006). Therefore, delinquent behavior can be attributed more to the forces encountered by juveniles in the society as compared to psychological instabilities.
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The Strain Theory
The strain theory is one the sociological theories that explain juvenile delinquency. According to the theory, juvenile delinquency is attributed to the pressure that mounts on young people to achieve. Contextually, these achievements cut across education, social status, wealth, and acceptance. The theory perceives people to have similar goals, values, aspirations, and ambitions in life. However, people do not have the same opportunities to achieve these aspirations. The strain theory structures the society to be the institution that instills certain ideologies of aspirations and dreams that define achievement. However, the same society that is instrumental in setting a certain threshold of the kind of life the people should be living is still the same one that fosters inequity in availing opportunities. An appropriate example of such ideologies is the ‘American Dream’ notion.
Minds and thoughts of young people are dynamic since their ideas are usually transforming to conform to what they think is the best life. The brain of a juvenile is probably the richest place regarding thoughts and dreams. While growing in the society, juveniles are introduced to what ‘good life’ is about including driving good cars, owning fancy houses, having a good career among others. These are just a few things that the society propagates as ‘good life.’ What the society is reluctant to show juveniles is the struggle behind the good life (Downes et al., 2016). This is not to disregard that there are juveniles who are taught the hardships and the struggle of achieving what they want. However, most juveniles are shown the brighter picture which elevates their expectations.
If someone conducted a simple random survey and asked a number of juveniles what they want to do when they grow up, they would get a variety of answers. There are those who will say that they want to become great lawyers while others will say that they want to become engineers, business people, actors, or musicians. No one will say that they want to become babysitters or serve at a burger joint. Therefore, the choice of dream careers revolves around one thing – the good life and this is what most societies are built on; great ambitions, big dreams, exquisite life, achievement – the American dream (Shoham & Hoffman, 2012). How about a juvenile who shares the same ideologies as other Americans and is raised by their grandmother with barely anything to eat? How about that child who cannot afford an education? How about that child who wanted to go to college but could not get an enrolment because of poor grades?
As outlined, the brain of a juvenile is fragile and volatile. When juveniles are exposed to the hope of a good life, and then the expectations are suddenly shuttered or extinguished, this triggers desperate behavior and conduct. The disparity can be manifested in several ways such as through the engagement in illegal activities. Indeed, the youth engage in unlawful activities in various ways. There are those, who feel that the system has failed them and for that reason, they start being defiant. Participating in illegal activities is one of the ways in which juveniles can manifest defiance. Due to their misguided thoughts, most believe that they are going against the system that has failed them when they engage in such acts. In the strain theory of sociology, the ‘strain’ is the struggle for juveniles to achieve the silently culminated norms despite the limited opportunities.
In the US, the African community has some of the greatest numbers of juvenile delinquents. Also, many juveniles do not get to complete school or even join college. Just like any other juveniles in the US, these children have dreams of making it in America. Many want to change their lives, but the opportunities for them to do that are quite scarce; this struggle is, therefore, the strain. Due to the disappointment and frustration, they end up engaging in drug abuse, sexual activities, mugging, and breaking into people’s homes (Kaufman, 2017). Apart from frustrations, juveniles engage in delinquent behaviors as a way of trying to forcefully achieve what they cannot. They often cannot bear the thought of not realizing what the society has portrayed to be the high-end life. For this reason, they find crooked ways of making fast money to live the life that the system is reluctant to offer them. This ends up in drug dealing, theft, and prostitution; all of which are illegal.
What I could do to Aid in Alleviating the Problems
The best way to solve a problem is to locate its root. There are very many reasons why there is juvenile delinquency, and they revolve around one thing; the thinking mode of the juveniles (McClelland & Fararo, 2007). As a sociologist, the first thing I would do would be to target the reachable places where youths spend most of their time, especially at school and home. Afterward, I would encourage the teachers and parents to teach their children on how to face life from a realistic dimension. I would insist that the teachers and parents should not give false hopes to the children. Rather, they should teach the children how to work hard to earn their place in the society and economy. To foster the same, I would request to be given sessions where I could personally engage the children and educate them about the system and how it works. I would tell them that the system only avails opportunities to those willing to reach out to them.
Delinquency among juveniles has been on the rise in America. It is almost impossible to state all the reasons that have led to the surge in delinquency. However, the society is the most instrumental institution that can be used to control the delinquency ‘pandemic.’ It is unfortunate that the system that is responsible for making sure that juveniles are well-guided and provided with the opportunities they deserve is the same that propagates some deceptive ideologies. Either way, it all narrows down to the parent or guardian of a juvenile since they are responsible for guiding their children in the right path. The community and society should also be engaged actively in stipulating the right path for the juveniles.
References
Agnew, R. (2006). Pressured into crime : an overview of general strain theory. Roxbury Pub.
Downes, D., Rock, P. E. & McLaughlin, E. (2016). Understanding Deviance: A Guide to the Sociology of Crime and Rule-breaking. Oxford University Press.
Kaufman, J. M. (2017). Anomie, Strain and Subcultural Theories of Crime . Taylor & Francis.
McClelland, K. & Fararo, T. (2007). Purpose, Meaning, and Action : Control Systems Theories in Sociology.
Shoham, S. G. & Hoffman, J. P. (2012). A Primer in the Sociology of Crime . BookBaby.
