Chapter 7- Robert K Merton Flashcards
Summary of Chapter 7, ‘Social Structure and Anomie’ Robert Merton
Chapter 7, ‘Social Structure and Anomie’ by Merton suggests that individuals are not entirely responsible for deviance, but that society’s unobtainable demands lead individuals to be deviant (strain theory). The idea that cultural goals are not accessible to individuals of all classes is referred to as blocked opportunity structure, and there are several ways in which individuals respond to this. There are five modes of adaption listed: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion, with conformity being the most common and retreatism being the least common.
Robert K. Merton developed the structural strain theory as an extension of the functionalist perspective on deviance. This theory traces the origins of deviance to the tensions that are caused by the gap between cultural goals and the means people have available to achieve those goals.
Strain theory, developed by Robert K. Merton, argued that society may be set up in a way that encourages too much deviance. Merton believed there was a disjunction between socially approved means to success and legitimate cultural goals.
Opportunity Structure
Definition: The opportunity structure in a society is the distribution of people’s access to occupations and other ways for supporting their live and achieving goals. The concept plays a central role in Robert Merton’s Theory of Deviance. Merton argues that most societies include some degree of consensus over major values, such as those that define what it means to live a “good life.” If a culture promotes shared values that define people’s goals, but the structure does not provide equal access to legitimate means for achieving those goals, higher levels of deviance will result. People will be more likely to create innovative and illegal ways of achieving the same goals everyone aspires to. Or they may rebel against the system in various ways to protest the unequal opportunity structure.
