Social Strain And Anomie Theory By Robert K. Merton
“The ends justify the means,” is the epitome of Robert K. Merton’s social strain/anomie theory, one of his biggest contributions to sociology and criminology. According to Calhoun (2003), Merton’s work in sociology include theories of the middle range, the sociology of science, the sociology of knowledge and mass communications, the notion of structural-functional analysis, the interaction between social and cultural structures and science, several concepts including but not limited to self-fulfilling prophecy, role model, manifest, role strain, unintended consequences and more.
Merton’s first work was based around defining the subject matter and method of the sociology of science, according to Calhoun (2003). He developed the Merton Thesis, …show more content…
Merton’s middle range theory is meant to guide empirical inquiry.
Merton’s theory of social strain/anomie argues that “socially deviant behavior is just as much a product of social structure as conformist behavior” (Merton 1968). According to Cote (2002), Merton challenges the biological arguments and states that the drives/desires in people originate in culture and that the social structures in society limit those persons from satisfying those desires. When the person is limited from achieving those desires in a legal/accepted mean, they turn toward illegal/deviant means to satisfy them.
Another one of Merton’s works was the development of the sociology of knowledge and mass communications. The sociology of knowledge is “primarily concerned with the relations between knowledge and other existential factors in the society or culture” (Merton 1968). The mass communications part is based around the topic of propaganda and the forms that it comes to the
Merton’s first work was based around defining the subject matter and method of the sociology of science, according to Calhoun (2003). He developed the Merton Thesis, …show more content…
Merton’s middle range theory is meant to guide empirical inquiry.
Merton’s theory of social strain/anomie argues that “socially deviant behavior is just as much a product of social structure as conformist behavior” (Merton 1968). According to Cote (2002), Merton challenges the biological arguments and states that the drives/desires in people originate in culture and that the social structures in society limit those persons from satisfying those desires. When the person is limited from achieving those desires in a legal/accepted mean, they turn toward illegal/deviant means to satisfy them.
Another one of Merton’s works was the development of the sociology of knowledge and mass communications. The sociology of knowledge is “primarily concerned with the relations between knowledge and other existential factors in the society or culture” (Merton 1968). The mass communications part is based around the topic of propaganda and the forms that it comes to the