ADAPTING TO STRAIN - AN EXAMINATION OF DELINQUENT COPING RESPONSES

Strain theories have conceptualized delinquency as a form of adaptive, problem-solving behavior, usually committed in response to problems i nvolving frustrating and undesirable social environments. The most rec ent version of strain theory, Agnew's general strain theory, provides the most complete formulation of this argument by suggesting that deli nquent behavior enables adolescents to cope with the socioemotional pr oblems generated by negative social relations. To date, however, the a ctual coping effectiveness of delinquency remains unexamined. This stu dy explores the ways that delinquency may. enable adolescents to cope with strain, and it uses national survey data to test the coping effec tiveness of delinquent behavior. The findings indicate that delinquenc y enables adolescents to minimize the negative emotional consequences of strain, and they provide empirical support for the interpretation o f delinquency as an adaptive response to aversive environments. implic ations for criminological theory are discussed.