What are the three sources of strain as posited by Agnew? Provide an example of each

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

? Strain caused by failure to achieve positively valued goals. This type of strain will occur when youths aspire to wealth and fame, but assume that such goals are impossible to achieve. Also falling within this category is the strain that occurs when individuals compare themselves with peers who seem to be doing a lot better, or when youths believe they are not being treated fairly by a parent or a teacher. Such perceptions may result in reactions ranging from running away from the source of the problem to lowering the benefits of others through physical attacks or vandalism of their property. The student who believes he is being picked on unfairly by a teacher slashes the tires on the teacher's car for revenge.
? Strain as the removal of positively valued stimuli. Strain may occur because of the loss of a positively valued stimulus. The loss of a girlfriend or boyfriend can produce strain, as can the death of a loved one, moving to a new neighborhood, or the divorce or separation of parents. Loss of positive stimuli may lead to delinquency as the adolescent tries to prevent the loss, retrieve what has been lost, obtain substitutes, or seek revenge against those responsible for the loss. A child who experiences parental separation or divorce early in his life may seek out deviant peers to help fill his emotional needs and in so doing increase his chances of delinquency.
? Strain as the presentation of negative stimuli. Strain may also be caused by negative stimuli. Included in this category are such pain-inducing social interactions as child abuse, criminal victimization, school failure, and stressful events ranging from verbal threats to air pollution. Children who are abused at home may take their rage out on younger children at school or become involved in violent delinquency.