International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 6, No. 11; November 2015 168 General Strain Theory of Delinquency: the Developmental Process of Robert Agnew’s Works from a Historical Perspective PhD Ismail YILMAZ Amasya Tel: +90 507 286 38 95 E-mail: ismailyilmaz95@gmail.com PhD Gökhan KOCA Aksaray Tel: +90 505 366 58 69 E-mail: gkoca68@hotmail.com Abstract Extending the studies of Merton (1938; 1957), Cohen (1955), Cloward and Ohlin (1960), Criminologist Robert Agnew has given a new impetus to a fading theory of strain. He brought a new perspective to the science of criminology by analyzing psychological literature and including the components of research on stress. Rather than focusing only on discrepancies of cultural norms, Agnew not only utilized from sociology, but also from the psychology literature. In this sense, Agnew’s strain theory of crime and delinquency is not purely structural in nature. Rather, it appeals to a blend of different levels of analysis. In Agnew’s opinion, the causes of strain may be found outside the structural and cultural characteristics of society. More precisely, strain does not always stem from the blockage of monetary success and achievement of middle-class status. Rather, it may also develop from social-psychological causes such as removal of a positive stimulus or presentation of a negative stimulus. As such, he showed that the causes of delinquency cannot be attributable to a particular factor. His analysis of the variables of other theories prove that the complex nature of crime and delinquency should be examined both in the social and psychological levels (Maxim, Whitehead, & Nettler, 1998). Key Words: Strain, Crime, Delinquency, General Strain Theory Introduction Public policy decisions are not always based on solid theoretical foundations. Traditionally, findings of studies in the field of criminology have been creditedonly if implicated policies gained a popular support.Theemergence of early versions of strain theory coincided with the end Great Depression years. The theorywas first articulatedin late 1930s,whenthe wealth was presented as a success symbol and people were highly motivated to achieveso- called “American Dream”. When the social atmosphere changed and the crime rate peaked towards the end of the 1960s, the theory lost reputation and was replaced by theories that put a strict emphasis on social control. The theory was then abandoned or given a less credituntil criminologist Robert Agnew developed his general strain theory. During his career, Agnew has expended significant effort to restore the so-called abandoned strain theory. To reconstruct the so-called fading strain theory, he initially introduced his revised version. Later,he articulated his general strain theory building upon this revision. This paper is organized in such a way that it examines the developmental process of Agnew’s works from a historical perspective. The first sectionelaborates his preliminary works on the classical strain theory and his revised strain theory.The second section provides a detailed account of his general strain theory. Agnew's work is not limited to his studies on strain theory only. He also conducted extensive research on other criminological theories. Therefore, the third section is dedicated to some examples from his studies on other theories and their comparisons to the general strain theory.