Why Juveniles Become Delinquent

Why Juveniles Become Delinquent
ANOMIE THEORY
Introduction
In the current society, the rate of crime has increased drastically. The most surprising part is that young people are involved in these criminal activities, which worries society. Delinquent refers to an offender who fails to adhere to and comply with the law or society standards. It is essential to understand the meaning of delinquency. Therefore delinquency is a criminal behavior which is mainly associated with a juvenile. The age of young people may vary from one country to another, but in most countries, individuals are considered adults when they are between 15-18 years. Different sociological theories examine the various factors that may facilitate people in society to involve themselves in criminal behaviors. To comprehensively understand these sociological theories, the literature will examine anomie theory, evaluate how they relate to juvenile problems, and explain how these issues may be reduced.
According to Crossman (2019), the anomie theory was first developed by Robert Merton in the 1940s. In this theory, Robert believed that juvenile delinquency is more likely to take place when the juveniles are not in a position to attain happiness through the existing legal means. As a result, young people indulge in unlawful methods of achieving their goals. It is important to note that anomie refers to the state of normlessness. According to Hövermann, Groß, Zick & Messner (2015), anomie is a sociological theory because there are goals maintained in society, and they are always desirable for every individual. Still, they are not equally available to every person. Some socially approved goals in the United States include wealth and status, among others. It is also vital to note that the only justifiable and tolerable methods of attaining these goals include education, working hard, and suitable investments. However, the opportunities provided to the American society are not equally distributed, making some individuals pursue illegal and felonious approaches to attain what they feel pressured to obtain.
Consequently, Robert Merton categorized the anomie theory into different categories that examine how juvenile problems are likely to occur. The first category is the conformists. According to Hövermann, Groß, Zick & Messner (2015), conformists acknowledge the goals as well as the societal ways of achieving those goals, innovators agree on the goals, but they fail to accept the means; therefore, they employ other unlawful methods of acquiring money and obtaining success. Further, ritualists, on the other hand, dismiss the success goals but continue acting to societal expectations. Crossman (2019) states that retreatists refuse both the goals and approaches, and they are likely to drop out of society...