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EXPERIENCED, VICARIOUS, AND ANTICIPATED STRAIN: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON PHYSICAL VICTIMIZATION AND DELINQUENCY*
Most research on strain theory has focused on the effect of personally experienced strain on delinquency. This study focused on vicarious and anticipated strain; vicarious strain refers to the real-life strains experienced by others around the individual, while anticipated strain refers to the individual's expectation that current strains will continue into the future or that new strains will be experienced. Data from a national sample of adolescent boys were used to examine that type of strain involving physical victimization. A multiple regression analysis indicated that delinquency is related not only to experienced victimization, but also to certain types of anticipated and vicarious physical victimization.
Agnew's general strain theory (GST) substantially expands the scope of strain theory by pointing to several new categories of strain, including the loss of positive stimuli, the presentation of negative stimuli, and several new types of goal blockage. This theory and the research on it, however, focus largely on the individual's personal experiences with these types of strain. That is, researchers have typically measured strain by asking respondents whether they have been or are being treated in a negative manner by others. Agnew hinted that it may also be important to examine what may be called "vicarious" and "anticipated" strain. Vicarious strain refers to the real-life strain experienced by others around the individual, especially close others like family members, friends, and (possibly) community residents (Broidy & Agnew, 1997). The individual may directly witness the strain experienced by these others (e.g., such as an assault), may hear these others experience strain (e.g., gunshots, screams), or may hear about the strain of these others (e.g., from victims or in the media). Anticipated strain refers to the individual's expectation that his or her current strains will continue into the future or that new strains will be experienced (see Agnew, 1992).
This article examines whether vicarious and anticipated strain are related to delinquency, with a focus on that type of strain involving physical victimization. The examination of vicarious and anticipated strain has the potential dramatically to expand the scope of strain theory. Although the article focuses on physical victimization, virtually every type of experienced strain has its vicarious...