Merton Flashcards
What is the cause of crime?
A strain between the goals that society encourages and the means to achieve them legitimately
e.g. american dream
What are the adaptations to strain?
Conformity- accepts goals and legitimate means
Innovation- accepts goals but rejects legitimate means
Ritualism- rejects goals but accepts legitimate means
Retreatism- reject goals and legitimate means and become ‘drug addicts, outcasts’ etc.
Rebellion- reject societal goals and legitmate means in favour of adopting your own ones e.g. political radicals
Advantage of Merton’s theory
Shows how normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goals
Criticisms
Marxists- ignores the crimes of the ruling classes who make and enforce laws that victimise the poor
Only accounts for utilitarian crime