strain theory

robert king merton

an American sociologist who is considered a founding father of modern sociology

american dream

Set of meritocratic principles which assured the American public that equality of opportunity was available to all, regardless of class gender or ethnicity

strain

The tension or frustration that individuals experience when they are unable to achieve culturally valued goals through legitimate means

strain

results from the imbalance between cultural goals and institutionalized means

fallacious premise

The defect of this theory, according to Merton, lies in its assumption that "the structure of society primarily restrains the free expression of man's fixed native impulses. " That is, society discourages the individual from engaging in deviant activities

status frustration

He argued that lower-class boys experience this when they are unable to achieve social respect in a system dominated by middle-class values

conformity

is the most popular form of response. It involvesaccepting both the cultural goal of success and the use oflegitimate means of working toward that goal.

innovation

is largely found among lower-class people,who reject the use of legal means in favor of illegal ones intheir attempts to achieve the high success goal that they have learned to accept.

innovation

This form of deviant response is thecentral subject of strain theory

ritualism

common among lower-middle-class people wholower their aspirations or abandon high success goals so thatthey can more easily realize their aspirations.

ritualists

They tend to be proud of theirhard, honest work while shrugging off their modest incomes

Ritualism

abide by the institutional norm of toilingas conscientious, loyal workers.

retrearism

is a withdrawal from society into the shell of one's self

retreatist

does not care about success, nor doeshe or she care to work.

retreatists

Examples of such people are psychotics,outcasts, vagrants, vagabonds, tramps, alcoholics, and drugaddicts.

rebellion

involves rejecting the prevailing social expectation that we work hard in the so-called rat race to reach the goal of great success

rebel

attempts to overthrow the existingsystem and put in its place a new one with new goals and new means of reaching those goals. Thus, they may abandonboth the pursuit of fame and riches and the cutthroat competition needed to achieve this worldly goal.

differential illegitimate opportunity

While Merton suggests that lower-class individuals turn to deviance due to blocked access to legitimate success, Cloward and Ohlin argue that not everyone has the same access to illegitimate means either