Year of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Sociology (Criminology Option)

Department or School/College

Department of Sociology

Committee Chair

Daniel Doyle

Commitee Members

Christine Fiore, Dusten Hollist, James Burfeind

Keywords

Anger, Behaivoral REsponse, Crime-Gender Gap, Delinquency, Emotional Response, Gender, General Strain Theory, Path Analysis., Regression, Strain

Abstract

Traditional sociological theories examining delinquency typically were formulated to explain male behavior. With the universal recognition of the crime-gender gap, it is important to determine the applicability of these theories to female delinquency. This research uses the National Survey of Children (1981) to test propositions from general strain theory, specifically those outlined by Broidy and Agnew (1997). The data set allows for an expansion of the types of strain and delinquency typically examined in strain tests. Ordinary least squares regression, path analysis and a series of t-tests were used to determine variations in male and female emotional and behavioral responses to strain. The results of this analysis suggest that certain types of strain influence which type of delinquency males and females will pursue and that the intervening effect of negative emotion are consequential for both genders. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.

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© Copyright 2008 Sarah Rae Puckett