Merton's strain theory

Question 1

What does strain theory argue?

Answer 1

• People engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means
• E.G. they may get fustrated and resort to criminal means of getting what they want

Question 2

Merton’s strain theory combines what two elements?

Answer 2

• Structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structure
• Cultural factors - the strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on achieving them legtitmately

Question 3

For Merton, deviance is the result of strain between what two things?

Answer 3

• The goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
• What the institutional structure of society allows them achieve legitimately

Question 4

What’s the American dream?

Answer 4

• American’s are expected to persue this goal by legitimate means: self-discipline, study, educational qualifications, and hard work in a career
• this ideology tells Americans that society is meritocratic
• However the reality is different: many disavataged groups are denied opportunities to achieve legtimately
• It produces fustration, creates a pressure to resort to illegitiate means, the strain to anomie

Question 5

Deviant adaptations to change

Conformity?

Answer 5

• Individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately
• Most likely among m/c individuals, but Merton sees it as the typical response of most Americans

Question 6

Deviant adaptations to change

Innovation?

Answer 6

• Individuals accept the goal of money success but use illegitimat ways to achieve it such as theft
• More likely in the lower class

Question 7

Deviant adaptations to change

Ritualism?

Answer 7

• Individuals give up on trying to achieve the goals, but have internalised the legitimate means and so they follow the rules for their own sake
• typical of lower-m/c office workers

Question 8

Deviant adaptations to change

Retreatism?

Answer 8

Individuals both reject the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts, E.G. tramps, drug addicts

Question 9

Deviant adaptations to change

Rebellion?

Answer 9

• Individuals reject the exisiting society’s goals and means and replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionary change and create a new kind of society
• Political radicals

Question 10

Evaluation of Merton?

Answer 10

• Too deterministic; the wc experience the most strain, yet they dont all deviate
• Marxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruiling class to make and enforce the laws in ways that criminalise the poor but not the rich
• it assumes that there’s a value consensus - that everyone strives for ‘money success’
• It only accounts for utlitarian crime for monetary gain and not crimes of violence and vandalism etc