Download Outline and assess the view that deviance is the result of strain in

Outline and assess the view that deviance is the result of
strain in society
The view that deviance is the result of strain in society has been an ever present
consideration in sociology for over a century. The basis of this view was first
formed by Dukheim in 1897 with his theory of anomie. Anomie refers to a
breakdown of social norms and the condition where norms no longer control
the activities of members in society. Durkheim believed that individuals cannot
find their place in society without clear rules to help guide them. Also according
to the theory, sudden change within society leads to dissatisfaction, conflict and
deviance. Regardless of the fact that the sudden change is a great prosperity or
a great depression, anomie is the same result.
Durkeim’s theory was then modified in the 1930’s by Robert Merton when he
wanted to define an explanation for deviance in a functionalist framework.
Unlike Durkheim, Merton does not associate anomie with sudden change, but
with strains built into a social system that remain constant. To Merton, anomie is
a persistent structural strain, arguing that there are two elements of social and
cultural structure which anomie has an influence on. The first structure is
culturally assigned goals and aspirations. These are the things that all individuals
are believed to want and expect out of life, such as success, money, material
goods etc. The second aspect of the social structure defines the acceptable mode
for achieving the goals and aspirations set by society. This is the appropriate way
that people get what they would like out of life. Examples include obeying laws
and norms, seeking an education and hard work. Merton argued that in order for
society to maintain a function there must be a balance between aspirations and
means. He believed that balance would occur if the individual felt they were
achieving the culturally desired goal by conforming to the socially acceptable
way of doing so. It is also important that the culturally desired goals be
achievable by legitimate means for all social classes. If goals are not equally
achievable through an accepted mode, then illegitimate means might be used to
achieve the same goal. There often is a disparity between goals and means. Too
much emphasis is placed on the goal and not enough emphasis is placed on
achieving it through acceptable means. Merton stated that for some people
there is a lack of opportunity. This leads individuals to seek out the goal by
whatever means necessary.
According to Merton crime and deviance occurs through this process. To put it
simply, Merton believed that overemphasis on material success and lack of
opportunities to achieve it leads to crime.
To add to his theory, Merton defined five models of adapting to the ‘strain’ that
he said people feel due to their inability to successfully adhere to societies goals,
and the means to obtain them. The first of the five models put forward by
Merton is conformity. This is where the individual continues to accept the goals
of society and the means to obtain them. The second mode is innovation. During
innovation, the individual accepts the goals set by society but rejects the means.
This is the type of individual who would turn to deviance or illegitimate means in
order to reach the sought after goal. The third in Merton’s theory is ritualism. In
this case, the means and goals of society are adhered to but the individual has
lost sight of the goals and has no interest in the outcome of their efforts. In
effect, ritualism is the opposite of innovation. Retreatism, according to Merton,
is the next step from ritualism. This is where the individual disregards both the
means and goals set by society to achieve success because they view it as
impractical, imaginary and or irrational. Merton attributes this mode as the one
to which drug addicts and alcoholics function. This is because their reactions to
not being able to obtain success by legitimate means repress them from society.
The fifth part of Merton’s theory is rebellion which is where the individual rejects
both the means and goals set by society and replaces them with the objective to
change the system altogether.
In summary, Merton argues that strain occurs as a result of the frustrations and
injustices emerging from the relationship between cultural goals, cultural norms
and the opportunities available within the social structure. He believed that not
everyone can become rich and successful, and that opportunities for success are
limited. From this, a structural strain occurs. This disjunction leads to a
weakening of the commitment to culturally defined goals and norms. This is
what Merton suggests creates anomie. So when individuals discover that no
matter how hard they work, they cannot achieve the levels of satisfaction or
material wealth to which they have been taught to aspire, deviant behaviour
may be the only option to succeed. From here, the individual will adapt to one of
the four non-conformity modes as previously mentioned.
It is important to note that Merton’s Strain Theory was written from a
functionalist perspective. As a functionalist, Merton believed that deviance can
be beneficial as it can indicate problems in society. He believed that once this
problem has been indicated, it can then be resolved. Sociologists who have
different perspectives have been critical of Merton’s theory. For example,
Merton has been criticised by Valier (2001) amongst others for overemphasising
that a common goal exists within society. Some sociologists argue that the
theory just assumes there is a cultural consensus of goals, and ignores the
possibility of sub-cultures where cultural goals might differ considerably. Other
critics highlight the fact that the theory doesn’t take into account that just as
legitimate means to success are limited, that so too are the illegitimate
opportunities. Not everyone has equal access to criminal sub-cultures. It has also
been argued that Merton doesn’t specify why particular individuals choose one
form of deviance over another. Regardless of these criticisms, Merton’s Strain
Theory continues to support as the evidence acquired from constant testing and
research increases its validity.