RECONSIDERING STRAIN THEORY - OPERATIONALIZATION, RIVAL THEORIES, ANDADULT CRIMINALITY

Recently a revisionist view of strain theory's empirical adequacy has emerged which holds that the theory's explanatory power depends on how it is operationalized. With an adult community sample, we empirically assess three separate measures of strain to explain self-reported cri me: the gap between aspirations and expectations, blocked opportunitie s. and relative deprivation. The findings reveal that the aspirations- expectations measure is not related to criminal involvement, while per ceived blocked opportunities and feelings of relative deprivation sign ificantly affect adult offending. These relationships, however, fail t o persist after measures from competing theories (i.e., low self-contr ol, differential association, and social bond) are introduced as contr ols in the regression equations. Thus, measures from rival theories of fer a more fruitful approach to explaining self-reported adult offendi ng.