The two theories that I decided to merge are Agnew's general theory of constraints and Hirschi's theory of social bonds . I chose the General Theory of Constraints because it deals well with some of the things that can trigger the release of a person's negative emotions, which can lead to deviant behavior. I also decided to write about social bond theory because it describes some of the factors that prevent people from committing crime. Both theories individually have strengths and weaknesses, but when merged, they help to address the shortcomings of each. (Agnew, 2011; Hirschi, 2011) +1 (888) 295-7904The proposal of Robert Agnew's general theory of constraints to explain criminal deviance is based on three concepts. The first concept is that people are not naturally inclined to commit crimes. Rather, their transition to deviant behavior begins when they experience stress. The second concept is that once tension is present, depending on the severity of the stain, a person becomes a victim of their own negative emotions such as anger, jealousy and frustration. Their response to these negative emotions can accelerate their transition. The third concept relates to a person's ability to cope with tension and negative emotions. If a person has poor coping skills, they tend to become overwhelmed by tension and the negative emotions they feel due to tension. Poor coping skills can lead someone to commit a crime in hopes of remedying their situation. (Agnew, 2011) General constraint theory views most humans as legal and moral citizens in their society. The average citizen only turns to deviance when confronted with negative emotions caused by one or more of the three main types of tension. The three types...... middle of paper ...... rain theory. In F. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.), Criminological theory: From past to present (pp. 189-197). New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Agnew, R. (2011). Forced to commit a crime: general theory of tensions. In F. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.), Criminological Theory: From Past to Present, 4th ed. (p. 190). New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Agnew, R. (2011). Forced to commit a crime: general theory of tensions. In F. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.), Criminological Theory: From Past to Present, 4th ed. (p. 191). New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Hirschi, T. (2011). Social bond theory. In F. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.), Criminological Theory: From Past to Present, 4th ed. (pp. 215-223). New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Hirschi, T. (2011). Social bond theory. In F. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.), Criminological Theory: From Past to Present, 4th ed. (p. 217). New York: Oxford University Press Inc...