Sociology Strain Theories of Crime & Deviance
- Created by: Jakeyboy13579
- Created on: 15-09-20 13:55
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- Strain theories of Crime and Deviance
- Merton's (1938) Strain Theory
- Merton adapted Durkheim's concept of anomie to explain deviance as a combination of unequal level of opportunity for all and a set of cultural goals with less emphasis on achieving them legitimately
- e:g American culture values 'money success' which is individual material wealth and the status that goes with it
- Merton adapted Durkheim's concept of anomie to explain deviance as a combination of unequal level of opportunity for all and a set of cultural goals with less emphasis on achieving them legitimately
- The American dream
- The ideology of the 'American dream' promotes meritocracy in society
- The reality is different as many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve these ideals legitimately due to poverty etc
- The strain resulting between cultural goals and lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve them produces frustration which creates pressure to commit crimes
- Therefore Merton argues the society creates 'strain to anomie'
- The strain resulting between cultural goals and lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve them produces frustration which creates pressure to commit crimes
- The reality is different as many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve these ideals legitimately due to poverty etc
- Americans are expected to pursue this goal by legitimate means
- The ideology of the 'American dream' promotes meritocracy in society
- Deviant adaptions to strain
- Merton identifies five types of adaption, depending on whether an individual accepts, rejects or replaces approved cultural goals and the legitimate means of achieving them
- Conformity (accepts cultural goals and institutional means)
- Innovation (accepts cultural goals but rejects institutional means)
- Ritualism (rejects cultural goals but accepts institutional means)
- Retreatism (rejects cultural goals but rejects institutional means)
- Rebellion (rejects cultural goals and attempts to replace them and rejects institutional goals and tries to replace them)
- Merton identifies five types of adaption, depending on whether an individual accepts, rejects or replaces approved cultural goals and the legitimate means of achieving them
- Evaluation
- Weaknesses
- Merton takes official crime statistics at face value. These overrepresent working class crime so Merton sees crime as a mainly working class phenomenon
- Too deterministic as the working class experience the most strain yet not all of the working class deviate
- Strengths
- Merton shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goal
- Both conformists and innovators are pursuing money success, except the former are doing it legitimately and the later illegitimately
- Merton also explains the differences in crime rates by different types of crime and social groups
- For example, most crime recorded is property crime because American society values material wealth so highly
- Merton shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goal
- Weaknesses
- Merton's (1938) Strain Theory
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