Merton's Theory Of Anomie Emphasizes

Deviance and Strain Theory in Sociology

By Charlotte Nickerson, published October 01, 2021

Summary

Social inequality can create situations in which people experience tension (or strain) between the goals lodge says they should exist working toward (like fiscal success) and the legitimate ways they have available to meet those goals.
According to Merton'due south strain theory, societal structures tin pressure individuals into committing crimes. Classic Strain Theory predicts that deviance is likely to happen when there is a misalignment betwixt the "cultural goals" of a society (such as budgetary wealth) and the opportunities people accept to obtain them.
Responding to heavy criticism of Classic Strain Theory, sociologists Robert Agnew, Steven Messner, and Richard Rosenfeld developed General Strain Theory. This predicts that diverse strains (such as violence and discrimination) create negative feelings which, when in that location are no other feasible options for coping, leads to deviance.
Modern strain theories evolved from studies of "anomie," or normlessness. The French sociologist Emile Durkheim was the first to write about anomie. In his works The Division of Labor in Society (1893) and Suicide (1897), Durkheim hypothesized that groups and social organizations are primary drivers of misconduct.
Principally, Durkheim claimed that a breakdown in societal norms — a result of rapid social alter — made it and so that societal institutions could no longer regulate individuals well.
For instance, in a society where economical norms become unclear — there are weak or non-existent authorities to tell workers what they can or cannot practise — aspirations become limitless and anomie and deviant behavior (such as criminal offence) results.

Overview of Robert Merton'due south Theory of Deviance

Edifice off of Durkheim'southward piece of work on anomie, Merton (1957), was the start person to write about what sociologists call strain theory. To Merton, anomie was a status that existed in the discrepancy between societal goals and the ways that individuals have in achieving them.

Merton noticed that American society had high rates of crime and proposed that this was because the achievement of the American Dream — wealth attainment — was securely ingrained by Americans, fifty-fifty those for whom factors such as race and class had made it highly improbable that they would ever achieve large monetary success.

Property this cultural value in loftier regard, they plough to illegitimate means of obtaining wealth, becoming criminals in the process. The discrepancy or strain between the aspirations and the means of achieving them became known as "strain theory."

Implicit in Merton's approach is that the factors that lead to order and disorder in a society (such as crime versus the order of social norms) are not mutually exclusive, and that cultural values that accept desirable functions frequently contain or produce undesirable consequences (Hagen & Daigle, 2018).

Five Responses to Strain

"The extreme emphasis on the accumulation of wealth as a symbol of success in our ain society militates confronting the completely effective control of institutionally regulated modes of acquiring a fortune. Fraud, abuse, vice, crime, in short the unabridged catalogue of proscribed behavior becomes increasingly mutual…" (Merton, 1938, p.59).

Society's accent on financial success and materialism through the mythology of the "American Dream" can be stressful for those whose chances of realizing that dream are limited (Messner & Rosenfeld, 2012). The rewards of conformity are available but to those who can pursue approved goals through approved means. Any other combination of means and goals is deviant in one way or another.

Merton argued that individuals at the bottom of society could respond to this strain in a number of ways. Different orientations toward lodge'due south goals and differential admission to the ways to achieve those goals combine to create unlike categories of deviance.

Conformity: individuals are following a societal goal through legitimate means. Although a conformist may not necessarily reach the societal goal, he has enough faith in society to follow legitimate ways. For example, a student who is going to school in order to advance a professional person career is conforming, every bit he is following the American cultural value of success through an canonical means (Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey 2016).

Innovation: the individual shares the cultural goal of the society but reaches this goal through illegitimate means. Thieves - who share the cultural goal of wealth obtainment, but do so through breaking the law (such equally drug dealing or embezzlement), are innovators.

Ritualists: individuals who take given up hope of achieving society'southward approved goals but still operate co-ordinate to order'south approved ways. A member of center direction, for example, who accepts that they will never progress but still stays in their position is a ritualist.

Retreatists (like dropouts or hermits): individuals who have rejected both a lodge's goals and the legitimate means of obtaining them, and live outside conventional norms altogether. Drug addicts and figures such as Chris McCandleless — an Emory University graduate found expressionless in Alaska later attempting to reject capitalism, hitchhike north, and live off the land — retreat from both societal rule and societally-approved means (Krakauer 2018).

Rebellion exists outside of Merton's organization birthday. Rebels aim to supercede societal goals with those of their own and devise their own means of achieving them. The virtually obvious examples of rebellion are terrorist organizations, which attempt to advance a goal, typically political, through ways such every bit violence (Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey 2016)

Criticism of Merton's Strain Theory

Merton's strain theory became the basis of much of criminal sociology in the 1950s and 1960s, but received substantial and damaging criticism. Writers such equally Hirschi (1969), Johnson (1979), and Kornhauser (1978) have argued that Merton'due south theory is not supported empirically; even so, others (such as Farnworth and Lieber, 1989) argue that it does.

Straight prove for Merton's strain theory, though sparse, is conflicting. Some research finds that there are not specially loftier delinquency rates between those with the greatest gap between aspirations and expectations — those with low aspirations and depression expectations had the highest offense rates. Still, others accept shown support for this hypothesis (Agnew et. al 1996; Cullen & Agnew 2003).
Outside of empirical measurement, criticisms of Merton's strain theory emphasize Merton's assumption that the U.S. uniformly commits to materialistic goals when in reality the U.S. has highly pluralistic and heterogeneous cultural values (people tend to set themselves a multifariousness of goals). For example, people might prioritize helping others less fortunate than themselves (such every bit teachers or nurses) or striving for a healthy work-life remainder over cloth success (Valier, 2001).
Sociologists have as well criticized Merton's emphasis on misdeed in lower classes, failing to examine why elites break laws, such every bit corporate and white-collar criminals (Taylor et al., 1973). And lastly, the theory emphasizes monetary, and not violent crimes and brings upwardly the question: If Merton is right, why does the U.Southward. take lower property crime rates than many other developed countries? (Hagen & Daigle, 2018).
Some have attempted to revise Merton's strain theory. One such revision introduces the concept of "relative impecuniousness" — those who have less in comparison to those effectually them have higher rates of criminality.
Others have argued that adolescents pursue a variety of non-monetary goals, such as popularity, grades, athletic prowess, and positive relationships with parents (Agnew et al., 1996; Cullen & Agnew, 2003, Hagen & Daigle, 2018).

Agnew'south General Strain Theory

General Strain Theory'south core is that individuals who experience stress or stressors oft become upset and sometimes cope with crime (Agnew & Brezina, 2019).

According to General Strain Theory, strain increases crime considering it leads to negative emotions such equally anger, frustration, depression, and fear.

Individuals want to do something to correct these emotions, and their circumstances may get in so that committing a crime is an individual's most attainable option for coping (Agnew & Brezina, 2019).

These negative emotions may also lower the barriers to crime. For example, aroused people often have a potent desire for revenge (Agnew 2006).

Agnew (1985) argues that malversation is about mutual amongst those experiencing negative life events, such as divorce or financial bug (Hagen & Daigle, 2018).

He as well argues that delinquency comes from an inability to avoid painful environments – such as a schoolhouse environment where there are interaction bug with teachers.

This creates negative affect and delinquency becomes a means of obtaining what 1 has been prevented from obtaining (instrumental), retaliation, or escapism (Hagen & Daigle 2018).

Consequently, in that location are three types of strain, according to Agnew (Agnew & Brezina, 2019):

Strain from people losing something they value. For case, their money could exist stolen, a friend may die, or a romantic partner may exit them.
Strain from beingness treated in an adverse or negative style, such every bit being verbally or physically abused.
Strain from people existence unable to attain their goals: for example, existence unable to obtain the money or respect that they want.

General Strain Theory differentiates between strain on 2 different axes: objective vs. subjective strain and experienced, vicarious, and anticipated strains.

Objective strain happens because of events and weather that most people in a given grouping dislike, while subjective strain results from events and weather disliked by one item person or the detail persons being studied. This is an important stardom because the negativity of an experience tin can differ radically between individuals.

For example, i person may call divorce the worst experience of their life while another may consider it a crusade for celebration (Agnew & Brezina, 2019; Agnew, 2006).

Well-nigh researchers ask about objective levels of strain — whether or not individuals take experienced events that researchers presume are negative — however, it is important to consider that some then-chosen negative events can be positive to certain individuals and vice-versa (Agnew & Brezina, 2019).

Agnew (2002) also differentiates between experienced, vicarious, and anticipated strain. Experienced strains are strains directly experienced by someone, vicarious strains are strains experienced by others, oft those that the individual feels protective toward.

And finally, anticipated strains are strains that individuals wait to experience, especially in the near time to come.

Examples of Strain

Nonetheless, Full general Strain Theory does non consider negative emotions to be the only factor that increases crime in trained individuals. Strain can reduce levels of social control, such as how much someone values conformity and the belief that criminal offense is wrong.

When strain comes from negative handling from those in authority — such every bit parents, teachers, employers, and the police — this can decrease the individual's stake in conformity and conventional society.

Rather than conforming to traditional ideas of social controls, strained individuals tend to prefer a values system that minimizes concern for others and prioritizes self-interest (Agnew & Brezina 2019; Brezina & Agnew 2017; Konty, 2005).

Strain can also encourage the social learning of criminal offense. A student who is bullied can be regularly exposed to models of aggression, and chronically employed individuals living in communities where there is little room for economic opportunity may belong to groups that believe theft and drug dealing are acceptable.

The strains most probable to result in crime are those that are high in magnitude, that are seen as unjust, strains associated with low social control — such every bit parental rejection — and strains that create a pressure or incentive to cope criminally — such as a desperate need for money (Agnew & Brezina, 2019).

Many sociologists have researched which strains are the most likely to cause law-breaking (such as Arter, 2008, Baron & Hartnagel, 1997, and Ellwanger, 2007), and Agnew (2002) compiles a list of these strains.

They are:

Familial: parental rejection, child abuse and neglect, marital problems, utilize of humiliation, threats, screaming, and concrete punishments.
Schoolhouse: low grades, negative student-teacher relationships; bullying and otherwise abusive peer relationships.
Economical: Piece of work that involves unpleasant tasks, lilliputian autonomy, depression pay, low prestige, and limited opportunities for advocacy; unemployment; homelessness (which combines a desperate need for coin with frequent conflicts and criminal victimization); residence in poor urban areas.
Being the victim of a crime
Bigotry based of factors such as race, gender, and faith.

Some sociologists, such every bit De Coster and Kort Butler (2006) have plant that strains in certain life domains — such every bit family unit, school, and peer groups — are especially related to delinquency in that domain (Agnew & Brezina, 2019).

Langton (2007) constitute that full general strain theory is able to explain certain types of upper class "white-collar crimes" (such as tax fraud), just that Agnew's theory cannot generalize to all corporate crimes.

Indeed, Langton suggests, the types of strain and negative emotions experienced by white collar workers may differ from that of other populations. Not all individuals respond to stress with crimes.

For example, someone can cope with living in a poor urban expanse by moving away, a lack of financial resources by borrowing money, or low grades past studying more than finer.

Nonetheless, General Strain Theory outlines a few factors that make criminal coping more probable (Agnew & Brezina 2019):

Poor conventional coping skills.
Resources to commit crimes, such as physical force and fighting ability
Depression financial and emotional back up and straight aid in coping.
Low command by society, holding little belief in conformity.
Criminal peers. Beliefs that favor criminal coping.
Negative emotions and low constraint.
Situations where the costs of criminal offence are low and the benefits high.

Institutional Anomie Theory

Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld, in their book Law-breaking and the American Dream (2012), extend Agnew'south General Strain Theory into "institutional anomie theory."

In this view, social club is fabricated up of social institutions (such as family, religion, and economic construction), and greater rates of crime effect when i institution — the institution of economic structure — trumps all others.

People in this society begin to try to accumulate material wealth at the cost of all else, and a lack of command and authorisation by noneconomic institutions institutionalized anomie.

Examples

Bullying and Self-Harm in Adolescents

Hay & Meldrum (2010) examined self-harm in 426 adolescents in the rural United states of america from the perspective of Agnew's General Strain Theory.

They emphasized two seldom spoken most areas of strain and deviance: cocky-harm every bit deviance and bullying as strain. Self-harm, according to Hay & Meldrum, is an internalized deviant act (as it usually only affects oneself) and can result from strainful relationships with peers (such as bullying).

Hay & Meldrum hypothesized three things. Firstly, bullying is significantly and positively associated with cocky-harm. Secondly, this self-damage is mediated by the negative emotional experiences of those who are bullied — such as anxiety, depression, and low self-worth.

And, thirdly, that prosocial, authoritative parenting and high levels of self-control would be associated with lower levels of self-harm. Hay & Meldrum considered authoritative parenting to be a "moderating variable" because it indicates high access to family support.

Ultimately, the researchers constitute that General Strain Theory did marshal with the behavior they observed. Adolescents who experienced bullying, in-person or over the cyberspace, had more negative emotions.

These negative emotions were especially high amidst females, people of color, those living in immigrant or non intact households, and those depression in cocky-command.

And those who had more negative emotions but few avenues to "mediate them" (such as through stiff, prosocial family support) had college levels of self-harm (Hay & Meldrum, 2010).

Terrorism

Many researchers have attempted to create theories of terrorism by accounting for particular types of strain — such equally poverty — merely they consider all of the factors that could lead to terrorism (Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey, 2016).

Terrrorism is probable to result from a group or commonage experiencing "commonage strains'' (Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey 2016). These strains can be because of several factors, such every bit race and ethnicity, religion, course, politics, or territorial groups.

Yet, the strains mostly resulting in terrorism are high in magnitude with civilian victims, unjust, or caused by more powerful others (Agnew 1992).

For example, case studies of terrorist organizations such as the Tamil Tigers, Basque Homeland and Freedom, Kurdistan Workers Party, and the Irish Republican Ground forces reveal that the strains faced by these groups involved serious violence — such equally death and rape — threats to livelihood, big calibration imprisonment and detention, and attempts to eradicate ethnic identity (Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey, 2016).

These strains happened over long periods and affected many people, largely civilians (Callaway and Harrelson-Stephens 2006, Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey 2016).

Members of terrorist groups that practise not seem to have experienced high magnitude strains still study experiencing high magnitude strains (Hoffman 2006).

For instance, some right-wing terrorists in the United States believe in a "Zionist Occupation Regime" which threatens their values (Blazak 2001, Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey, 2016).

These strains must be seen as unjust — for instance, if information technology violates strongly held social norms or values or if information technology differs substantially from how members of the commonage have been treated in the past.

These strains pb to potent negative emotions — such every bit anger, humiliation and hopelessness, and make information technology difficult to cope legally and militarily, leaving terrorism as one of few viable coping options (Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey 2016).

They also reduce social control and provide models for and foster beliefs favorable to terrorism (Inderbitzen, Bates, & Gainey 2016).

As a result, following General Strain Theory, terrorist groups resort to deviance in the form of collective violence.

About the Writer

Charlotte Nickerson is a fellow member of the Class of 2024 at Harvard University. Coming from a research background in biological science and archeology, Charlotte currently studies how digital and physical infinite shapes human beliefs, norms, and behaviors and how this can be used to create businesses with greater social impact.

How to reference this article:

Nickerson, C. (2021, Oct 01). Merton'south strain theory of deviance. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/mertons-strain-theory-deviance.html

References

Agnew, R. (1985). A revised strain theory of delinquency. Social forces, 64(ane), 151-167.

Agnew, R. (2002). Experienced, vicarious, and anticipated strain: An exploratory study on physical victimization and delinquency. Justice quarterly, nineteen(4), 603-632.

Agnew, R., & Brezina, T. (2019). General Strain Theory. In 1000. D. Krohn, N. Hendrix, Thousand. Penly Hall, & A. J. Lizotte (Eds.), Handbook on Crime and Deviance (pp. 145-160). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Agnew, R., & Brezina, T. (2019). General strain theory. In Handbook on crime and deviance (pp. 145-160): Springer.

Agnew, R., Cullen, F. T., Burton Jr, V. S., Evans, T. D., & Dunaway, R. K. (1996). A new test of classic strain theory. Justice quarterly, 13(iv), 681-704.

Baron, S. W., & Hartnagel, T. F. (1997). ATTRIBUTIONS, Touch, AND CRIME: STREET YOUTHS'REACTIONS TO UNEMPLOYMENT. Criminology, 35(3), 409-434.

Blazak, R. (2001). White boys to terrorist men: Target recruitment of Nazi skinheads. American Behavioral Scientist, 44(6), 982-m.

Brezina, T., & Agnew, R. (2017). Juvenile delinquency and subterranean values revisited. Delinquency and Migrate Revisited, 73-97.

Callaway, R. L., & Harrelson-Stephens, J. (2006). Toward a theory of terrorism: Homo security every bit a determinant of terrorism. Studies in conflict & terrorism, 29(8), 773-796.

Cullen, F. T., & Agnew, R. (2003). Criminological theory. By to present.

De Coster, S., & Kort-Butler, 50. (2006). How general is full general strain theory? Assessing determinacy and indeterminacy beyond life domains. Periodical of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 43(iv), 297-325.

Durkheim, Eastward. (2000). The division of labor in society (1893): Blackwell.

Durkheim, E. (2005). Suicide: A study in sociology: Routledge.

Ellwanger, Southward. J. (2007). Strain, attribution, and traffic delinquency among immature drivers: Measuring and testing general strain theory in the context of driving. Crime & Delinquency, 53(4), 523-551.

Farnworth, Yard., & Leiber, M. J. (1989). Strain theory revisited: Economical goals, educational means, and delinquency. American Sociological Review, 263-274.

Hagan, F. E., & Daigle, Fifty. East. (2018). Introduction to criminology: Theories, methods, and criminal behavior: Sage Publications.

Hay, C., & Meldrum, R. (2010). Bullying Victimization and Adolescent Self-Impairment: Testing Hypotheses from Full general Strain Theory. Journal of Youth and Boyhood, 39(5), 446-459. doi:10.1007/s10964-009-9502-0

Hirschi, T., & Stark, R. (1969). Hellfire and delinquency. Social Problems, 17(2), 202-213.

Hoffman, B. (2006). Insurgency and counterinsurgency in Iraq. Studies in disharmonize & terrorism, 29(2), 103-121.

Inderbitzin, 1000., Bates, K. A., & Gainey, R. R. (2018). Perspectives on deviance and social control: Sage Publications.

Johnson, R. E., & Johnson, E. E. (1979). Juvenile malversation and its origins: An integrated theoretical approach: Cup Archive.

Konty, M. (2005). Microanomie: The cognitive foundations of the human relationship betwixt anomie and deviance. Criminology, 43(1), 107-132.

Kornhauser, R. R. (1978). Social sources of malversation: An appraisal of analytic models.

Krakauer, J. (2018). Into the wild (Vol. 78): Pan Macmillan.

Langton, L., & Piquero, Northward. L. (2007). Can general strain theory explain white-neckband crime? A preliminary investigation of the human relationship between strain and select white-collar offenses. Journal of Criminal Justice, 35(1), one-15. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2006.xi.011

Ménard, K. S., & Arter, M. L. (2013). Police force officer alcohol use and trauma symptoms: Associations with disquisitional incidents, coping, and social stressors. International journal of stress management, 20(1), 37.

Merton, R.One thousand. (1938). Social structure and anomie. American Sociological Review 3(5), 672–682.

Merton, R.K. (1949). Social structure and anomie: revisions and extensions. In: Anshen, R.N. (Ed.), The Family unit: Its Functions and Destiny. Harper, New York, pp. 226–257.

Merton, R.Yard. (1957). Social structure and anomie. In: Merton, R.K. (Ed.), Social Theory and Social Structure. The Free Press, New York, pp. 185–214.

Merton, R.K. (1957). Continuities in the theory of social structure and anomie. In: Merton, R.K. (Ed.), Social Theory and Social Structure. The Free Printing, New York, pp. 215–248.

Messner, S. F., & Rosenfeld, R. (2012). Crime and the American dream: Cengage Learning.

Messner, South. F., Thome, H., & Rosenfeld, R. (2008). Institutions, anomie, and violent law-breaking: Clarifying and elaborating institutional-anomie theory. International Journal of Conflict and Violence (IJCV), 2(2), 163-181.

Valier, C. (2001). Criminal detection and the weight of the by: critical notes on Foucault, subjectivity and preventative control. Theoretical Criminology, 5(4), 425-443.

Farther Information

Anomie/Strain Theory Sociological theory and criminological research: Views from Europe and the Usa Featherstone, R., & Deflem, Grand. (2003). Anomie and strain: Context and consequences of Merton'south two theories. Sociological research, 73(four), 471-489. Messner, S. F. (1988). Merton's "social structure and anomie": The route non taken. Deviant Behavior, nine(1), 33-53. Agnew's General Strain Theory: Context, Synopsis, and Application Agnew's Full general Strain Theory: Context, Synopsis, and Application Jang, South. J., & Rhodes, J. R. (2012). General strain and non-strain theories: A study of criminal offense in emerging adulthood. Periodical of Criminal Justice, 40, 176-186.

Dwelling house | About Us | Privacy Policy | Annunciate | Contact Us

Simply Psychology'southward content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to exist a substitute for professional medical communication, diagnosis, or treatment.

Ezoic