Robert Merton (1955) & The American Dream

Question 1

Who is Robert Merton (1955) & what does he believe about crime? (3)

Answer 1

• American functionalist
• views society as the main cause of crime
• USA has high crime rates due to the emphasis of the American Dream

Question 2

What is the American Dream? (2)

Answer 2

• idea that everyone will be able to achieve personal success through hard work
• available to all; nobody is excluded if they show real determination

Question 3

What is the legitimate way to achieve The Dream? (2)

Answer 3

• hard work at school
• hard work in a chosen career

Question 4

How do the proletariat view The Dream? What is felt as a result?

Answer 4

• can seem remote, distant and unachievable
• strain is felt as they attempt to achieve the dream in a legitimate way, but they are pulled back by working-class roots

Question 5

What stems from a result of strain on the proletariat?

Answer 5

• anomie

Question 6

What 3 responses do the WC have in response to strain and anomie? (3)

Answer 6

• conformity: majority continue to pursue goal and legitimate means of achieving it
• innovation: some by-pass legitimate means of the dream and use crime as an alternate path to achieve it
• retreatism: dream is abandoned and individual drops out of society; may become a drug addict for example

Question 7

Contemporary example of innovation (not American but still applies) BBC NEWS (6) (who, when, where etc)

Answer 7

• 2015
• Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company burgled by an organised raid
• £200 million stolen
• carries out by 4 elderly thieves
• illustrates how innovation as a response to anomie can propel a “rags to riches mindset”
• 4 men sentenced to prison

Question 8

Negative eval for Merton - class (2)

Answer 8

• only applies to Working-Class crimes
• ignores white-collar crimes where financial gain is the motivator for achieving this idea of ‘The American Dream’

Question 9

eval for Merton - What 2 other type of crime does Merton ignore?

Answer 9

• non-utilitarian crimes such as vandalism
• collective crimes in gangs / groups

Question 10

Negative eval for Merton - does anomie always result in crime? What is his theory accused of being?

Answer 10

• deterministic
• majority of WC people don’t commit crimes