According to Robert Merton’s strain theory, refers to when people challenge both the approved goals and the approved means for achieving them and advocate an alternative set of goals or means.

Read the scenario. samira is a freshman basketball player who hopes to go to college on a basketball scholarship. she is offered the chance to play on her school’s varsity basketball team, which plays in tournaments during holiday breaks. samira usually spends her breaks working at the local hardware store. after careful consideration, samira decides to stay on the freshman basketball team and keep working over breaks.the fact that samira may miss out on a scholarship opportunity by staying on the freshman team illustrates-a cause.-minor consequences.-a trade off.-unexpected risk.