Chad is the captain of the high-school golf team and son of a prominent business owner in town. Orhan is a refugee from Syria who attends the same school and lives with his single mother on the poor side of town. Both Chad and Orhan were caught cheating on a recent biology exam, but only Orhan was punished, which led him to drop out of school due to the shame he felt and to become involved in the illicit economy of street crime. Chad, on the other hand, went on to become a successful corporate executive after attending a prestigious college. This is an example of which theory of deviance?

The Strain Theory was created by Robert Merton a sociologist. In sociology and criminology, the theory of tensions states that the social structures of society can pressure citizens to commit crimes.

In this theory when people are prevented from achieving an approved goals through institutional means, they experience strain or frustration that can lead to deviance.

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