Dynastie Dingle
Professor Satenik
CRJ 1O2 110W
5/2/24
To summarize Murton’s strain theory, he essentially believed that social factors such as your income, neighborhood, education, references groups, etc. lead to a direct pipeline of those who commit crimes. Strain being the factors mentioned above and the means you have available to achieve those goals through those discrepancies. Now in terms of Shakur, Merton believed that there were 5 categories based of these discrepancies: innovation, ritualism, retreatism, conformity, and rebellion. The two I believe closely correlated with the crimes/lifestyle Shakur was living pre jail are rebellion and ritualism. He grew resentful of his upbringing, that combined with the aggressiveness of Christian influence being pushed on him and furthermore the violence of his father through that Christianity directly lead in my opinion in terms of Murton’s rule to his ultimate murder charge. This idea of going against the grain, stepping outside of something that for lack of better words has been shoved down your throat threw every aspect of your life as not only did Shakur grow up in the church, but his father also happened to a minster, his mother a devoted church wife. I believe the ritualism of being a part of a gang applied to a young Shakur, growing up in neighborhood is kill or be killed, the belongingness, the culture of being in a gang a fault not of his own was his ultimate undoing. I believe the only gap in this theory pertaining to Shakur is that typically having a church background is associated with having a good life, many people don’t understand how somebody with presumably such positive influence goes down a life of crimes and gang. That the same ritualism he sought in the streets he could’ve sought in Christianity and while absolutely correct I don’t think that ruins the way this theory applies to Shakur. Those statements refuse to acknowledge the resentment and disdain he developed early in life under the overbearingness of his upbringing through religion.
