Merton's strain theory
- Created by: lucexox
- Created on: 04-07-16 10:19
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- Merton's strain theory
- The main idea
- People engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means
- People resort to criminal means instead
- People engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means
- Structural factors
- Society's unequal opportunity structure
- Cultural factors
- The strong emphasis on success goals and weaker emphasis on legitimate means to achieve them
- He uses the American Dream and Anomie to describe this idea
- 1. We assume society is meritocratic
- 2. There are expectations to pursue goals through legitimate means
- Self-discipline
- Studying
- Qualifications
- Hard work
- 3. Winning the game becomes more important than playing by the rules
- 4. There is a strain of Anomie as many lower class groups are denied from achieving legitimately
- Those at the 'bottom of the ladder' will find it hardest to succeed, so are more likely to seek alternative routes to success
- Five responses to the strain of Anomie
- Conformity
- Accepting socially approved goals
- Achieving goals legitimately
- Middle class
- Innovation
- Accepting the goal of money success
- Illegitimate means of achievement
- Lower class
- Ritualism
- Given up on trying to achieve goals
- Internalised the legitimate means so follow the rules anyway
- Lowe class
- Office workers in dead end of routine job
- Retreatism
- Reject the goals
- Reject legitimate means
- Become drop-outs
- Drug addicts
- Rebellion
- Reject existing goals and means
- Replace with new goals and means
- Untitled
- Conformity
- Evaluation
- WEAKNESS Seen as a working class phenomenon
- WEAKNESS Marxists suggest laws are enforced by the powerful to criminalise the poor
- WEAKNESS Assumes everyone strives for money
- WEAKNESS Ignores group crime, such as delinquent subcultures
- WEAKNESS Official statistics are taken at face value
- STRENGTH Explains the patterns shown in official crime stats
- STRENGTH Official stats are reliable
- STRENGTH Most crime is property due to value of marital wealth
- STRENGTH Lower class have higher rates of crime as they are less likely to achieve legitimately
- STRENGTH Identifies how normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goals
- The main idea
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