SOC. 351 #6 - Robert Merton’s Contributions to Sociological Theory 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
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Robert Merton’s Anomie Theory emphasizes the importance of the goals that people believe are worth striving for‚ and the legitimate means to attain the desired goals. He says that for these two elements must be balanced‚ an imbalance of these lead to strain/anomie that can affect people in social classes‚ but it would most likely affect the people from lower socioeconomic status. Merton states that most people adapt to different modes like conformers‚ they pursue their goals through acceptable means
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Why People Commit Crime: A Strain Theory Perspective SOCI150 Criminology Deviance‚ criminal behavior and wrong doings; why do they occur? People don ’t just wake up one morning and say "I ’m off from work today so why don ’t I just go rob a bank". There has to be something in their past or present experiences that cause one to engage in criminal behavior. So what makes people commit crime and most importantly why do they fell they need to so? Criminologists have studied this question for many years
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The feeling of disconnect and indifference due to a disagreement between a society and of the individual can lead to deviance and criminal activity. Understanding the connection between the Social Strain Theory and anomie help explain the variables that motivate people towards criminal activity or deter them away from it. These concepts help explain the concentration of crime in lower class and minority communities‚ as well as the generally high crime
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General strain theory was meant to explain that stress caused crime‚ that crime was sort of a coping mechanism for stress. The main propositions of Agnew’s general strain theory were that there were three types of stain that produced deviance: Failure to achieve positively valued goals‚ removal of positively valued stimuli‚ and confrontation with negative stimuli. Removal of positively valued stimuli refers to stress of adolescents caused by loss of a person or thing of great worth‚ such as‚ the
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The strain theory states that deviance is more likely to occur when a gap exists between cultural goals and the ability to achieve these goals by legitimate means. To get a decent job in today’s society requires a college degree. The average four year degree is almost $10‚000 just for tuition. We are expected to start school at a young age‚ keep up with homework‚ extracurricular activities‚ chores‚ and keep a job to pay for future expenses. It is extremely hard to earn enough money to pay for your
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Compare and Contrast; Anomie Strain and Differential Opportunity Theories Introduction- This paper will cover Anomie Strain‚ and Differential Opportunity theory. This will be done by an overview and explanations of the two theories‚ and by comparing and contrasting the theories based on the explanations Robert Merton‚ Richard Cloward‚ and Lloyd Ohlin proposes. To begin‚ the question that inspired Robert Merton‚ Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin was to explore what was the cause and explanation
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MERTON TRUCK COMPANY Sol 1 : Given : Selling Price od Model 101 truck : 39000 Selling Price of Model 102 truck : 38000 We know‚ Contribution C = SP – VC VC for Model 101 : Direct Material + Direct Labor + Variable Overhead : 24000 + 4000 + 8000 = $36000 VC for Model 102: Direct Material + Direct Labor + Variable Overhead : 20000+ 4500+8500 = $33000 Let no of Model 101 produced be X Let no of Model 102 produced be Y Z= (39000-36000)X + (38000=33000)Y Z=3000X + 5000Y
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Every city seems to have a “bad part of town”‚ but what is responsible for crime and social problems in these parts of inner cities? Robert Merton coined the theory of strain in 1938 building off of Emile Durkheim’s concept of anomie‚ or a feeling of normlessness (Cullen text‚ Part V). Robert Merton suggests that every society has a specific set of norms and goals for success‚ and that crime occurs due to the gap‚ imbalance‚ and disjunction between aspiration for these goals and the means to achieve
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The concept behind strain theory is that when there’s a gap between what society wants such as wealth or success and the means to these things are difficult‚ individuals might feel strained and feel the need to use shortcuts to obtain these riches in life. This tension could result in deviant actions because people are attempting to reach these desired objectives using unorthodox or non-accepted means. This strain is caused by individuals’ inability to achieve their
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