A decorated military sniper, a serial killer, and an abortion doctor all have one thing in common: they are responsible for the death of multiple lives. In our modern society, labels create a huge impact on the amount of acclaim or condemnation a person can get, even if their behavior is oddly similar. Three concepts contribute to our varying opinions of those “murderers”: general strain theory, labelling theory, and career deviants. General strain theory GST really started to become well known in 1992 with Robert Agnew.

• Strain Theory And Serial Killers

Basically, strain theory states that the driving force behind deviance relies on the gap between goals and the means of individuals to achieve them. That gap of inability is considered strain and thus causes deviance in order to make up for what is lacking and achieve the desired goal. Strain theory is the main driving force behind research into serial killers and those who are mass murderers and/or school shooters. First, it is necessary to explain the concept of a mass murder.

Levin states that it is “the antisocial and non-state-sponsored killing of multiple victims during a single episode at one or more closely related locations” 2009. For those mass murderers, it is the constant frustration at not being able to be acclaimed by peers and failures to achieve various objectives that either the individual has or the individual has been put up to. The general strain theory later opened up the path for mental and social strain to become applicable to negative and disappointing events in the individual’s life. Those who become mass murderers, especially in the academic scenario, usually suffer from chronic strain Levin, 2009, and their frustrations are not just from school, but home as well. For serial killers, the strain of not being able to achieve what they want in life is generally what drives them to kill. Between 1900 and 2010, 92.5% of serial killers were men Aamodt, 2015. This is most likely due to the high expectations set on men by society to provide and be successful.

In another study, it is shown that 65% of the serial killers studied had blue-collar jobs Krueger, 2009. This contributes to the thinking that those who kill serially are unsatisfied with their moneymaking abilities/status in society and thus they turn to killing so they can feel that they actually make an impact on society. Labelling theory started to become well known after it became clarified in 1951 by Edwin Lemert. Labelling theory works like this: an individual performs primary deviance, becomes labelled, accepts the label, and then performs secondary deviance as a result of acceptance of the label. This then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the label determines the future of the labelled individual Inderbitzin, 2013. Those who kill because of strain and those who kill with a label are very different. They are different in the sense that their label is not particularly a negative one, but the stigma has evolved in such a way that it can be viewed from both sides. Abortion was considered a common practice before the 1970s.

Abortion doctors were not criticized, because they provided a much-appreciated service that was in demand Mohr, 1978. Their label was not a negative one, with the title ‘doctor’ being prominently acclaimed in society. Military snipers are also viewed with acclaim akin to doctors in society. In the 21st century, it is a sign of honor and respect to be a sniper, one of the untouchable elite. The concept of a sniper as a low-casualty solution to war has always been attractive to those in power, but to the general population, being a sniper in the military will be a “permanent fixtureand will continue to inspire awe and fear both in the military and in the public imagination” Taylor, 2011. This shows that though the label is considered elite, perception may not be the same. If labeling theory is applied, the concept of sniping as murdering could cause snipers to go through intense PTSD, where they feel as if they truly were unhelpful in their service to the military. Labels can really determine whether someone is viewed as elite or as a degenerate.

Female Serial Killers through a Sociological Lens. The principles of Durkheim’s Anomie Theory and Merton’s Strain Theory have. What is a “serial killer.

Snipers are an example of the elite side, and serial killers can be viewed as severe deviants that go against nature. In reality, both are remarkably similar. Snipers kill in response to orders from the government; and serial killers kill in response to orders from their own biological impulses.

Both snipers and serial killers have a method that they kill and a routine for killing. Most multiple murderers, with the exception of mass shooters, have deviant careers. They work for their killing ability/experience, and follow through with them. A deviant career is “a sequence of deviant events occurs over time with a beginning and an end.” Inderbitzin, 2013. Following this description, most of the careers that I’ve mentioned fit the concept.

Serial killers usually have a start and end period, with the starting time being their trigger, and the end time varying from the time of their capture to the time they die. Serial killers by nature have to work to conceal and continue their killing habits. This makes the ‘urge’ a career, where they develop their own technique their modus operandi, maintain their habits through routine, and executing the requirements laid out. It could be debated that mass shooters also have a start and end point, however short. Mass shooters do not usually create opportunities to emphasize their intended point, if any.

It is clear that snipers are career deviants, because they are first deviant for enlisting in the military, which consists only 3% of the general population Krueger, 2009. Then, they go on to become a more specialized individual in the military, doing things that very few people can do. This takes a lot of practice and discipline, especially in a total institution like the military. Abortion doctors are also a clear example of career deviants.

They go through the common goal of getting a good degree for a high paying job, but their task is to ultimately kill a fetus. In society, murder is stigmatized, but opinion towards killing is based on one’s perspective. There are many factors that cause this variation in how people look at killing which actually originates from said person’s sociological, psychological, and educational roots.

Strain Theory And Serial Killers

It is fascinating how strain theory can cause killers to emerge, labeling theory can either make or break them, and most killers are part of their own minority of deviant careers. The stereotypical labels of ‘killing is bad’ is really relative to the context of the murder itself and the justifications given. From serial killers to doctors, killing occurs every day.

It may not always be clear, but we do not kill without reason. Bibliography Aamodt, M. (2015, November 23).

Serial killer statistics. Retrieved 12/15/15 from killer information center/project description.htm Inderbitzin, Michelle, Kristin Bates, and Randy R. Gainey. Deviance and Social Control: A Sociological Perspective. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2013. Krueger, Katie Marie, “Sociological and Psychological Predispositions to Serial Murder” (2009). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. Paper 39. Levin, J., and E. Madfis. “Mass Murder at School and Cumulative Strain: A Sequential Model.” American Behavioral Scientist 52.9 (2009): 1227-245. Abortion in America. New York: Oxford, 1978 Taylor, Jared.

“The Cultural Impact of the American Sniper Program.” Utah Historical Review 1 (2011). “Abortion was considered a common practice before the 1970s. Abortion doctors were not criticized, because they provided a much-appreciated service that was in demand Mohr, 1978” no. Abortion was illegal in the united states until 1973. Unless you want to talk about how hundreds of women resorted to shady illegal abortions that only created more harm, than good then yeah yay for godly doctors!!!

But real talk why are you using a source that’s more than 40 years old anyway? And i’m still not sure how abortionists and snipers are the same?

I don’t remember any stealth attacks when i had my legs up in the stirrups for my abortion.

According to conflict theory, the criminal justice system does not focus on the executives of corporations and the harm they do through manufacturing unsafe products, creating pollution, and manipulating prices. Yet the violations of the capitalist class cannot be ignored totally because a. If they become too outrageous or oppressive they might encourage the working class to revolt b. The quotas (the allotted spaces by social class in our jails and prisons) must be met c. Reporters are always snooping around and looking for a good story d. Of recent laws passed by Congress.