Lecture 6 Merton: Social Structure and AnomieWhat is Strain?Macro sociological theory: Why the crime rate in US is high?Micro sociological theory- Effective Equilibrium: the culture emphasizes both in some degreeo This occurs where individuals receive an equal balance of satisfaction both fromfollowing the prescribed means to a goal as well as from achieving the goal itself- Malintegrated culture: A culture in which either a goal or the means to a goal isdisproportionately emphasized- Merton's Model of Society- Rules and procedures- American dream: material success- Durkheim: human are by nature greedy- Module of society- Economically big- Income category- Upper class: they have a lot of money to get what they need, to solve their problem- Even though people in the middle class and lower class have fewer means, they stillhave same goals. They expect to achieve same as everyone else- Four possible adaptations:- Typology of modes of adaptation:- Conformity: compliance with standards, rules, or laws.o when there is effective equilibrium, everyone will be conformity- Innovation: involves acceptance of the culture goals, rejects institutionalized meanso Businessmen are some kind fraudo Not doing things legal right wayCultural StructureGoalsMeansSocial StructureUpper ClassMiddle ClassLower ClassAdaptations- Ritualism: deviant behavioro Lower class find that they cannot attain American Dream. They reject culturegoals. “Play it safe”. o The person is not breaking law but is deviant.- Retreatism:o Reject both culture goals and institutionalized means of achieving the goalso They don’t care about having houses at allo At some time and some places, retreatism is criminalized- Rebellion:o Intentional communitieso American dream is individual mindseto Other than competing, they work togethero Spiritual state by a spiritual way of life- Anomie: people using deviant adaptations reject either the means or the goals in acultural system, and such rejection is what Merton understood to be anomie- Merton: The culture remains in place.- Merton theory is often called “strain theory” - The poor are not expecting to achieve what the wealthy expecting
View Full Document