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Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice pp 3127–3137Cite as

Monetary Strain and Individual Offending

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Overview

Monetary strain theories, including anomie and general strain perspectives, outline that individuals who are unable to reach monetary goals utilizing legal channels, or who are experiencing negative economic circumstances, will be more likely to engage in a range of illegal activities. The probability of an illegal response is strengthened when individuals perceive their opportunities to achieve the monetary goal to be blocked, attribute the cause of their failure to external sources, and feel deprived relative to the others with whom they compare themselves. The failure to reach the monetary goal, or the negative economic experience, in these situations leads to frustration, dissatisfaction, and anger. These negative emotions supply the incentive for individuals to utilize numerous illegal avenues that focus on financial gain to facilitate the realization of monetary goals or address negative economic circumstances. Individuals experiencing monetary strain may also strike out...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Queen’s University, MacKintosh-Corry Hall, K7L 3N6, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Stephen W. Baron

Authors
  1. Stephen W. Baron
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Correspondence to Stephen W. Baron .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  2. VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  3. Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    David Weisburd

  4. Faculty of Law, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel

    David Weisburd

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Baron, S.W. (2014). Monetary Strain and Individual Offending. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_214

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_214

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5689-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5690-2

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