Emotional Invalidation and its Implications for Criminology

• In Event: General Strain Theory and the Role of Negative Emotion

Abstract

Emotional invalidation is an overall sense that one’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors are not being recognized by others in their world. Psychologists have shown that emotional invalidation can lead to a range of problems, in part because emotional invalidation can leave someone feeling angry or distraught. However, despite its potential value, this concept has been virtually nonexistent in the criminological literature. In this paper, I discuss how emotional invalidation can add value to several criminological theories, most notably Agnew’s General Strain Theory. Moreover, I discuss the ways in which emotional invalidation can be addressed in hopes of offsetting potential motives for crime. All told, the argument put forth suggests that emotional invalidation might represent a key construct that exists across several criminological theories, which means that a thorough understanding of emotional invalidation could be beneficial for crime and other coping behaviors.

Author

• Christopher Dennison, University at Buffalo