Merton thinks anomie is too vague. He says that everyone has the same goal but we all start in different places. Anomie is the gap between where we start and what we’re trying to get to. There is tremendous cultural stress on being successful (the goal) but not everyone can follow the acceptable way (the means). Thus the burning desire to achieve the socially stressed goals actively promotes deviant behaviour.
Merton says how you react to the gap is the type of deviance you are.
Conformity: continuing to accept the goals and the means set by society even though failure is a likely outcome.
Innovation: accepts the goals of society but rejects the socially acceptable means.
Ritualism: means to the goals are accepted, lose sight of the goals goes through the motions but have no real interest in the outcome
Retreatism: both means and goals are forgotten, drops out of the rat race. Turns to substance abuse.
Rebellion: redefine society's goals and create new institutional means or work outside the system to pursue them.
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