Functionalism - Merton

Strain theory

People engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve goals by legitimate means

Anomie

A state of normlessness

The American Dream

• culture values money

• Expected to pursue by legitimate means : hard work

• Society is not meritocratic - poverty and discrimination = blocked opportunities - frustration - illegitimate means

• Pressure = ^ as US puts more emphasis on success

• Anomie as norms = too weak to prevent

Conformist

• mc

• Law abiding

• Accept goal

• Strive using legitimate means

• Eg lawyer, dentists

Innovator

• accept the goal of money success but use ‘new; illegitimate means

• e.g. theft, fraud

• those at the lower end of the class structure are under greatest pressure to innovate

ritualism

• individuals give up on trying to achieve the goals but have internalised the legitimate means so they follow the rules for their own sake

• lower middle class

• end up in dead-ended, routine jobs

retreatism

• reject both the goals and legitimate means

• become dropouts

• e.g. psychotics, drunkards, drug addicts, vagrants

rebellion

• individuals reject the existing society’s goals and means

• replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionary change and create a new kind of society

• e.g. political radicals and counter-cultures e.g. hippies

evaluation

• takes official crime statistics at face value - over-represent WC crime

• too deterministic

• ignores power of ruling class

• assumes there’s a value consensus

• accounts for utilitarin crime for money gain

• explains how deviance results from individuals and ignores group deviance