Materialism of the American Dream - 593 Words

The pursuit of American Dream itself can lead to crime. The American dream is a materialistic dream; the success and fulfilment of wealth. The success is achieved by working hard and achieving your goals but when people leave school without prerequisite they face a miserable future no matter how hard they work, which leads to criminal behaviour. Working class are the ones that feature in criminal statistics because people without opportunities become frustrated and turn to crime as a way from escaping the real world (Vanlamka, 2014). Strain theory points out that those WCC criminals are opportunistic and motivated rather than social control theory points out that people behaviour is learned from childhood. Robert Agnew and Broidy (1997) explained how strain theory can be used in explaining the differences of crime rate in small groups, in communities and in adolescents. They used this theory to show the increased rate of crime among females and males. According to their studies, females tend to experience as much or more strain than males but they commit less crime (Agnew and Broidy, 1997). Females tend to be concerned with maintaining closer relationship with others, therefore lower rates of property and violent crime. Males tend to be concerned with material success, therefore higher rates of property and violent crime. Females experience negative treatments like discrimination and higher demands from family. Males experience more conflicts with peers and are more likelyShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby American Dream Essay1030 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream and â€Å"The Great Gatsby† The American Dream can be described as someone starting at the bottom of the social or economic ladder and working hard towards prosperity, wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the true American dream. 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