The American Dream Flashcards
How are Americans expected to pursue the goal of money success?
Through legitimate means, such as educational qualifications and hard work.
What does the ideology of the ‘American Dream’ tell Americans?
Their society is a meritocratic one where anyone who makes the effort can get ahead.
What is the reality of American society?
Many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve legitimately. E.g. poverty and discrimination may block opportunities for many ethnic minorities and the lower classes.
What is the result of the strain between the cultural goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunities?
It produces frustration and this creates a pressure to resort to illegitimate means such as crime and deviance.
What does Merton call this pressure to deviate?
The strain to anomie.
How is the pressure to deviate further increased?
By the fact that American culture puts more emphasis on achieving success at any price than upon doing so by legitimate means.
What is an advantage of Merton’s theory?
He explains the patterns shows in the OFS. Most crime is property crime because American society values material wealth so highly and lower-class crime rates are higher because they have the least opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately.
What is a criticism of Merton’s theory?
He takes OFS at face value. These over-represent working-class crime, so Merton sees crime as a working-class phenomenon.
