Merton’s Strain Theory

Question 1

What are the 2 types of factors that explain Deviance in Merton’s Strain Theory ?

Answer 1

-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

Question 2

What are the 2 things that Merton argues deviance results from a strain between ?

Answer 2

For Merton deviance is a result of strain between 2 things
- the goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
-What the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately

Question 3

Explain the American Dream ?

Answer 3

-Americans are expected to pursue this goal by legitimate means ; self discipline , study , educational qualifications and hard work in career
-the ideology of American dream tells Americans that their society is meritocratic , where anyone who makes an effort can get ahead - their are opportunities for all
-However , the reality is different many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve legitimately eg poverty , inadequate schools , discrimination in the job market
-the resulting strain between the cultural goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve them produces frustration and this in turn creates a pressure to turn to illegitimate means such as crime and deviance . Merton calls this pressure to deviate , the strain to anomie

Question 4

What does Merton call the pressure to deviate from legitimate means to illegitimate means ?

Answer 4

Merton calls this pressure to deviate
The strain to anomie

Question 5

What are the 5 deviant adaptations to strain according to Merton ?

Answer 5

-Conformity
-Innovation
-Ritualism
-Retreatism
-Rebellion

Question 6

Merton adaptation to strain - Conformity ?

Answer 6

Conformity - individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately

Question 7

Merton adaptation to strain - Innovation ?

Answer 7

Innovation - individuals accept the goal of money success but use new illegitimate means such as theft to fraud to achieve it , the lower end of the social class structure are under the greatest pressure to innovate

Question 8

Merton adaptation to strain - Ritualism ?

Answer 8

Ritualism - 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

Question 9

Merton adaptation to strain - Retreatism ?

Answer 9

Retreatism - individual reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts eg drug addicts

Question 10

Merton adaptation to strain - Rebellion ?

Answer 10

Rebellion - individuals reject the existing society’s goals and means but they replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionary change and create a new kind of society

Question 11

Evaluation of Merton ?

Answer 11

-Merton takes official crime statistics at face value , these over represent working class crime , so Merton sees crime as a mainly working class phenomenon
-Too deterministic -the working class experience the most strain yet do not all deviate
-Marxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce laws that criminalise the poor but not the rich
-it assumes there is value consensus - that everyone strives for money success and ignores the possibility that many may not share this goal
-it explains how deviance results from individuals adapting to the strain but ignores the role of group deviance such as delinquent subcultures