RT Article
T1 Strain, coping mechanisms, and slavery: a general strain theory application
JF Crime, law and social change
VO 49
IS 4
SP 245
OP 269
A1 Rocque, Michael
LA English
YR 2008
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1882066693
AB General strain theory (GST) is a framework for understanding how strain, or psychological adversity, affects individuals, and how these individuals cope with strain. Researchers have generally used the theory to study contemporary crime and deviance. However, GST offers a more general perspective for the study of strain that apply to other contexts. This paper examines applicability of GST to African-American experiences during slavery in order to determine the relevance of the theory to an historical context and to shed light onto that context. Relying on primary and secondary sources from the historical record, I argue that slaves in America experienced the types of strain outlined in GST, showing how these strains affected individuals. Moreover, during the ante-bellum period, African Americans appear to have utilized the same coping strategies and resources found in GST, which helps to illustrate how and why such coping strategies were used. As a result, GST is able to offer insights into a historical context - an application of the theory neither researchers in the criminological, nor the historical literature have explored. Implications for the application of GST in other situations of confinement (e.g., the prison) are discussed.
NO Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 266-269
K1 Cognitive Coping
K1 Coping Mechanism
K1 Coping Strategy
K1 Slave Owner
K1 Social Support
DO 10.1007/s10611-008-9106-8