Preview

Analysis Of Robert K. Merton's Strain Theory

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
355 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis Of Robert K. Merton's Strain Theory
In terms of cultural goals and means to attain them, describe each of the five modes of adaptation that Merton outlined in strain theory.

Merton's Strain hypothesis is a human science and criminology hypothesis created in 1938 by Robert K. Merton. The hypothesis expresses that society puts weigh on people to accomplish socially acknowledged objectives for an example the American dream, however they do not have the methods. This prompts strain which may lead the people to carry out wrongdoings. Merton contended that society can urge aberrance to a vast degree. He trusted that socially acknowledge objectives put weight on individuals to accommodate. Individuals are compelled to work inside the framework or move toward becoming individuals from a degenerate subculture to accomplish the coveted objective. Merton's conviction turned into the hypothesis known as Strain Theory. Merton went on to
…show more content…
Acknowledges adjusted rewards, experiences implies how never achieves an end, moderate advance.

Retreatism- Could not care less about objectives and how you approach getting. Tends to join the factions, "dropping out", unobtrusively acknowledges defeatism.

Rebellion- Tries to sort out as opposed to withdrawing pioneers of social developments accuses framework if things turn out badly, causes worry by enlisting others.

References

Henslin, J. M. (01/2014) Essentials Of Sociology, 11th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323110263/

Strain theory (sociology) - Wikipedia. (2017, May 25). Retrieved June 15, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strain_theory_(sociology)

Strain Theory how social values produce deviance. (n.d.). Retrieved from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    “Political time” differs from that of ordinary time in the amount of time it takes to reach an end result. As ordinary time may take anywhere from a few days to several years, “political time” refers to the amount of time it takes to achieve the ultimate goal of a group or organization. In the case of the resistance fighters in Vietnam, their willpower came from the motivation to continue fighting for a higher cause. Their ability to continue to move forward for almost thirty years led the subordinates to push through any resistance that opposed their greater cause. The leadership roles also play a crucial role in the motivation of subordinates. Without any supporting motives, subordinates will lose sight of the ultimate goal and soon enough stray away from the end result that once instilled them to continue the fight. As stated by the revolutionary leader and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, “The Vietnamese people deeply love independence, freedom and peace. But in the face of United States aggression they have risen up, united as one man”.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Agnew's Strain Theory

    • 110 Words
    • 1 Page

    Dr. Robert Agnew studied strain theory and spoke about the criticisms that were discovered in the original theory. The original strain theory found an increase in delinquency would result from an increase in aspirations as well as a decrease in expectations. This was later found to be false. The initial theory was a prediction of a focus of lower class delinquency. Research into this claim was found to be just as likely to happen in both middle and upper classes. The original strain theory ignored different variables, which Agnew addressed. Both the abandonment of crime in late adolescence as well as the quality of family relationships was overlooked (Agnew, 1985).…

    • 110 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Final Paper Ant 101

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    4. Analyze and explain the impact that the primary mode of subsistence of the selected culture has on at least three of the following aspects of culture:…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ashford Soc 304 Discussions

    • 3759 Words
    • 16 Pages

    b. Compare and contrast one of the other theories mentioned in the chapter (i.e., modernization, exchange theory, subcultural theory of aging, etc.) to activity theory and disengagement theory.…

    • 3759 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    However, Merton’s strain theory can be criticised because it focuses on individual responses to limited access to opportunity structures or access to illegitimate opportunity structures and doesn’t recognise that there is a social pattern of crime and deviance affecting whole groups of people, linked to social class, age, gender, ethnicity and locality, and not all of these people are subjected to the same opportunity structures.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Structural Strain Theory

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages

    If 100 people are released from prison, and 75 of them relapse back into their previous criminal behavior, is the prison system sufficient? (Page 10. No Place For Kids- The Case for Reducing Juvenile Incarceration.) Based off of Robert Merton’s structural strain theory, Kohlberg's morality scale, tragedy of the commons, and Walter Mischel's theory of delayed gratification, it can be proved that the United States Criminal Justice system is flawed.…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Asdf

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Select one of the following three topics associated with Chapters 4 and 9 of the text. Complete a 5-8 page draft paper for the…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Merton used Durkheim's concept of anomie to form his own theory, called Strain Theory. Merton argued that anomie is not created by dramatic social change, but rather by a social structure that holds the same goals to all its members without giving them equal means to achieve them. Merton stated that all members of a capitalist society have goals such as "wealth, status and personal happiness", (Merton, 1938) and that the means available to achieve this success are unevenly distributed throughout society. Merton believes that this lack of integration between society goals and what society realistically permits causes the less dominant or lower class group to suffer 'strain' which results in alternate or illegitimate ways of achieving those goals. (Merton, 1938)…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I learned that Robert Merton borrowed "anomie" from Emile Durkheim. Anomie is the breakdown or absence of social norms and values. This website had little content but was very informative. It outlined the five modes of adaptation to strain.…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The word rebellion describes “an effort by many people to change the government or leader of a country by the use of protest or violence”. In a more basic sense, rebellion is a refusal or opposition of what is perceived or enforced as a standard. A rebellion can be as simple as a child disobeying a parent, or as complicated as an entire population of people fighting a high power for what they believe in. The rebels which carry out any rebellion are often portrayed as selfish, ignorant and dangerous by the people with power that they choose to rebel against. Often viewed by society as the underdogs, rebels play an important part in creating change.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The idea of ‘strain’ that sociologist Merton uses in his theory has a very significant impact on the views of Cloward and Ohlin. Merton believes that crime and deviance is due to a strain between the socially accepted goals of society and the socially approved ways of obtaining these goals. For example, ‘strain’ are ways that prevent certain groups from succeeding such as material or cultural deprivation. Cloward and Ohlin argue that Merton failed to appreciate that there was an illegitimate opportunity structure, which meant that for some subcultures, a regular illegal career was available with recognized illegal means of obtaining society’s goals.…

    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Strain Theory

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Robert Merton borrowed, if you will, Durkheim 's concept of anomie to form his own theory, called Strain Theory. It differs somewhat from Durkheim 's in that Merton argued that the real problem is not created by a sudden social change, as Durkheim proposed, but rather by a social structure that holds out the same goals to all its members without giving them equal means to achieve them. It is this lack of integration between what the culture calls for and what the structure permits that causes deviant behavior. Deviance then is a symptom of the social structure. Merton used Durkheim 's notion of anomie to describe the breakdown of the normative system.…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mr President

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    leading the rebellion, and if diplomatic action can be taken first in order to quench…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Stress And strain

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages

    where σ is stress (in Newtons per square metre or, equivalently, Pascals). F is force (in Newtons, commonly abbreviated N), and A is the cross sectional area of the sample.…

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Robert Merton studied under Talcott Parsons at Harvard University and was influenced by Pitirim Sorokin and Paul Lazarsfeld respectfully. Although Merton valued the relationship he had with Parsons and admired much of his work, he “diverged from Parsonian functionalism…in his decision to abandon the quest for an all-encompassing theory. He chose rather, to take the path of what he calls ‘middle range theories’” (p.46), designed to conduct empirical examination of societies’ functions and dysfunctions. Merton’s best known published work in the field of sociology is the book he authored titled Social Theory and social Structure where he discussed the relationship between theory and empirical exploration. Merton enjoyed testing his hypotheses in the real world but also focused a lot of his attention on functional examination and his theory of deviance.…

    • 3129 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays