Strain Theory
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
When cultural goals (such as getting rich) are set by society, but the social structure does not provide legitimate means (such as education, employment) to achieve these goals, individuals experience "strain" and are forced to adopt deviant behaviors (such as crime, innovation, or retreatism).
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
A structural explanation for involution and lying flat. When goals (buying a house, upward mobility) are disconnected from means (salary), society inevitably produces a large number of "innovators" (engaging in gray industries) or "retreatists" (lying flat). This is not the fault of young people, but of system design.
Anchor fast decisions
Merton proposed that when cultural goals (success) are disconnected from institutionalized means (legitimate pathways), individuals experience anomic strain, leading to five modes of adaptation: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Deviance is often driven by structural disjunction rather than individual morality.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B4%A7%E5%BC%A0%E7%90%86%E8%AE%BAverified
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