Strain Theory

Sociology and other disciplines within the humanities are often undervalued. Those outside the discipline often feel there is very little to gain because their first-hand experience is enough to understand the world. So, if we are going to create a podcast all about social theory, a good place to s…

Strain Theory, by Robert Merton, provides a way to understand how society adds in the construction of motives for individuals to commit crime. The movie "Going In Style" provides the backdrop to which this theory will be applied.

How do umpires call balls and strikes? This episode uses that question as a platform to launch a discussion of how our theories and understandings of the world may be more influential in our construction of reality than we might care to admit.