Mertons strain theory

Question 1

what does strain theory focus on

Answer 1

It was first developed in the 1940s to explain the rising crime rates in the USA, he developed on Durkheims theory of anomie to explain why people commit crime

Question 2

what are the two elements of anomie?

Answer 2

1. Structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structure > does not allow people the same goal
2. Cultural factors - the strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them

Question 3

Structural factors:

Answer 3

society’s unequal opportunity structure > does not allow people the same goal

Question 4

Cultural factors:

Answer 4

the strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them

Question 5

What is the American dream?

Answer 5

Merton argued that the cultural system of the USA was built on the ‘American dream’ - a set of meritocratic principles which assured the American public that equality of opportunity was available to all regardless of class, gender or ethnicity.
This encourage individuals to pursue a goals of success which was largely measured in terms of the acquisition of wealth and material possessions.
People were expected to pursue this goal through legitimate means such as education and work and wealth and income would be your rewards.
However Merton argued these were not attainable by all, that the means were not fairly distributed and it was difficult if not impossible for some to compete and achieve financial success

Question 6

Institutionalized means:

Answer 6

how we are told to achieve these goals i.e. work, education

Question 7

Summary of Mertons strain theory:

Answer 7

He believed that a consensus existed in society about what peoples aims in life should be, he referred to this as cultural goals and institutionalized means of society, the goals are our aims in life i.e. success and the means are how we get to them i.e. hard work.
Merton suggests there is an unequal access to the goals and the means, he refers to this as strain. It is this strain and the responses to it that can cause deviance and criminal activity

Question 8

What are some cultural goals in society?

Answer 8

Good job, wealth, family, a good income, security

Question 9

What are legitimate means?

Answer 9

Education and Work

Question 10

Illegitimate means:

Answer 10

when people resort to illegitimate means to achieve their goals through the use of crime and deviance to achieve cultural goals i.e. theft, prostitution

Question 11

How does strain lead to crime?

Answer 11

Disadvantage means people dont have equal access to institutional means to achieve cultural goals, the result is strain between goals and lack of opportunities which results to illegitimate means

Question 12

What is the response to strain?

Answer 12

Merton argued that this strain led to the poor experiencing a state of anomie. They will response by adopting one of 5 types of behaviour
- conformity
- innovation
- ritualism
- retreatism
- rebellion

Question 13

Conformity
1

Answer 13

Cultural goal:
strong belief
Institutional means:
accept means
Example:
a person pursues cultural goals through socially approved means with the belief that they will achieve the goals eventually

Question 14

Innovation
2

Answer 14

Cultural goal:
strong belief
Institutional means:
reject means
Example:
a person uses socially unapproved or unconventional means to obtain culturally approved goals. eg. drug dealing for financial security

Question 15

Ritualism
3

Answer 15

Cultural goal:
weak belief
Institutional means:
accept means
Example:
using the same socially unacceptable means to achieve more humble goals which are more achievable

Question 16

Retreatism
4

Answer 16

Cultural goal:
reject goals
Institutional means:
reject means
Example:
a person rejects both the cultural goals and the means to obtain it, then find a way to escape it. they do not set new goals or find new means to achieve them, often considered deviant or petty criminals

Question 17

Rebellion
5

Answer 17

Cultural goal:
reject and substitute goals
Institutional means:
want to tear down and replace the existing social means
Example:
reject cultural goals and means and create new ones for themselves

Question 18

Evaluation points for Merton’s strain theory:

Answer 18

• deterministic - the theory suggests that it is not individual choice that leads to criminal behavior but external facts that leads to it
• fails to explain the existence of white collar and corporate crimes, they are upper middle class that would suggest they have socially approved means of goals and material wealth
• suggests there is a valued consensus in society which is a big assumptions
• focuses solely on utilitarian crime (financial motivation) some crimes have no financial motivation i.e. rape
• does not explain how individuals chose their response to strain, why do they chose one of the 5 responses

Question 19

Savelsburg (1995)

Answer 19

used strain theory to explain the explosion in crime rates in ex-communist Russia when they embraces capitalist practices and cultural goals in the 1990s

Question 20

Sumner (2004) and Young (2007)

Answer 20

claim to have uncovered the main cause in crime in modern societies to be the capitalist cultural emphasis on material success.