Merton\'s anomie theory PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Merton's anomie theory PDF

Description

Intro to explaining crime 8.2.18 Mertonian Anomie: Blocked opportunities and adaptation Agnew and other strain theories ! ‘’discover how some social structures exert definite pressure upon certain persons in the society to engage in non-conforming rather than conforming conduct’’ For functionalists all things have a purpose ! Functionalism:! - In social terms, all things have a purpose that is subservient to the purpose of good stable society! - Functionalists conceive of societies like a whole living organism in which there are a range of functioning organs, the purpose of which is to contribute to the proper functioning! Merton’s Background: The great depression early 1930s! Functionalism an dysfunction:! - Talcott Parsons- all institutions and functional elements of a society are good, they fit together to form a whole society ! The American Dream: prosperity wealth and economic success were available to all who worked hard The Great Depression had showed Merton that was untrue and that social structures placed obstacles in the way of achieving that goal ! Thus the American Dream provides the expected goals and simultaneously deprives people of legitimate meanings of achieving those goals! They suffer blocked opportunities or ‘’strain’’

4 Deviant adaptations:! - Innovators: don't want to work but want the rewards! - Ritualist: don't care about the rewards but do want to work- eg nurses ! - Retreatists: don't care about the rewards or the means to gain them -hippy travellers !

Intro to explaining crime 8.2.18 Conformism : They don’t mind working hard and they want rewards but the system ‘systematically’ denies them both- work and rewards so they adapt by maybe committing crime! Blocked opportunities - the inability to achieve norms : anomie ! Robert Agnew: Strain theory Problems with ‘anomie theory’ :! - focuses on lower class crime ! - Neglects all but the most conventional goals! - Overlooks other barriers to achievement like race, gender, intelligence ! - Fails to explain why not everyone who is subject to strain commits crime ! Strain is more likely to lead to crime when: - The strain is perceived to be unjust! - High in magnitude! - Associated with low social control !...