According to Merton, why do people engage in deviant beaviour?
Its when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means.
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Merton's two combined elements that explain why people commit crime
Structural Factors and Cultural Factors
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Define Merton's structural factor
Society's unequal opportunity structure
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Define Merton's cultural factor
The strong emphasis on success goals and the weak emphasis on using legitimate means to get there
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What two things that results deviance from strain
The goals a culture encourages individuals to achieve and the institutional structure of society that allows them to achieve legitimately
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What is the American Dream?
Its the ideology that tells Americans their society is meritocratic. One where anyone who makes the effort can get ahead - there are opportunities for all.
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What is the reality of the American Dream?
Disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve legitimately. (poverty, ethnicity, gender, deprivation)
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Including the cultural factor, how does one become deviant?
Cultural factor is the goal of money success, but without the opportunity to legitimately get there - produces frustration. This creates pressure to turn to illegitimate means (Crime and Deviance)
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What does Merton's strain to anomie mean?
The pressure to deviate (See Q8 for more) Emphasised by cultural factor - winning game becomes more important than playing by the rules (how to get there)
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What are the five different types of adaptation or reponses to strain to anomie?
Individuals accept the goals and strive to achieve them. Mostly middle class.
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Define Innovation
Individuals accept goals but create new ways to achieve them. Thorough the illegitimate opportunity structure (theft, fraud)
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Define Ritualism
Individuals give up on trying to achieve goals but go through the legitimate motions for their own sake.
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Define Retreatism
Individuals reject both the goals and legitimate means and become dropouts. (Tramps, outcasts, drug addicts)
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Define Rebellion
Individuals reject society's existing goals and means, but replace them with new ones in desire to bring revolutionary change. (Political radicals, activists or hippies)
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2 ways Merton explains patterns in official crime statistics
Most crime is property (USA) because we value material wealth and Lower class crime rates are higher because they have least opportunity.
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How do Marxists criticise Merton
He ignores the power of the ruling class, that make laws to criminalise the poor and not the rich.
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Another criticism of Merton (Value Consensus)
He assumes there is a value consensus that everyone strives for money success and ignores people that dont share this goal.
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Another criticism of Merton (Groups not individuals)
States individuals strain to anomie but not groups who may have delinquent subcultures.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Merton's two combined elements that explain why people commit crime
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