Merton's Theory

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Merton's Theory of Anomie Anomie is a French word but can be traced back to ancient Greek meaning lawlessness, in a nutshell Durkheim used this concept to describe the criminal behaviour of the existing social structure. When Merton developed his theory he used Durheim concept, however, Merton's formulation was broader and more specific in application. Durkheim's definition was that anomie applied to society as a whole but Merton believed that it was most concentrated amongst the deprived. He equated anomie with lack of equal opportunities. He also believed that people were'nt bad by nature. Merton Assumptions: According to Merton society has cultural goals, generally regarded as being worthwhile (eg wealth, material possessions and status) and then there is the institutionalised approved methods whereby these these objectives can be obtained such as educational qualifications and steady employment. People should therefore be prepared to start from the bottom and work themselves up. The emphasis on the success cultural goal is stronger than the emphasis on the approved means. People are socialised to pursue success, its idealised by the media, emphasised in schools and encouraged by the government. The value of success is passed on from generation to generation, therefore, the pressure to obtain these objectives by honest means have lost its value. Its this imbalance between goals and means that bring about anomie. Crimes as a lower-class phenomenon. Given his view on the goals and means, he went on to explain why there is a higher concentration of crime in the lower class:. The disadvantaged minority groups also wanted to achieve wealth and financial success just as much as the people from the middle and upper classes. However, they dont have access to institutionalised means (education and career opportunities). The resulting anomie
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