Functionalist Theories of Crime - Merton's Strain Theory
- Created by: lauren.glendenning
- Created on: 24-04-17 22:02
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Merton's Strain Theory:
Merton argues that people engage in deviant behaviour when they can't achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means. His explanation combines:
- Structural Factors - society's unequal opportunity structure.
- Cultural Factors - the strong emphasis on success goals and weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them.
The American Dream:
For Merton, deviance is the result of a strain between the goals a culture encourages individuals to aim for and what the structure of society actually allows them to achieve legitimately.
- For example, the 'American Dream' emphasises money success. Americans are expected to pursue this dream through legitimate means e.g. education and hard work.
- The ideology claims that American society is democratic. But in reality, poverty and discrimination block opportunities for many to achieve by legitimate means.
- The resulting strain between the cultural goal and the lack of legitimate opportunities produces frustration and a pressure to result to illegitimate means.
- The…
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