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functionalist, strain and subcultural theories - Coggle Diagram
functionalist, strain and subcultural theories
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Mertons strain theory
Strain theories argue that people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to ahieve socially appraoved goals by legitimate means. ex: they may become more frustrated and become a criminal to get what they want and lash out in anger.
Robert Merton (1938) came up with the first strain theory, he adapted to Durkheim's concept of anomie to explain deviance. explanation involves 2 element:
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cultural factors- the strong emphasis on success goals and weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them
believes deviance is the result of a stain between the goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve and what the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately
American dream- 'money success'.Explains to Americans that society is meritocratic where anyone who makes an effort cna get ahead , opportunities for all. The reality of this is there's a lot of disadvantaged groups who are denied opportunities (poverty, inadequate schools, discrimination, lower class, minority groups). The strain between the American dream and lack of opportunity produces frustration and people resort to crime
deviant adaptations to strain-
Merton uses strain theory to explain some patterns of deviance found in society, Individuals position in the social structure affects the way they adapt to the stain of anomie
conformity- individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately
innovation- individuals accept the goal of any success but use new illegitimate means (theft or fraud) to achieve it.
ritualism-individuals give up on trying to achieve the goals but internalise the legitimate means so they follow the rules
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rebellion- individuals reject the existing society goals and means, replace them with new ones in desire to bring a revolution of change, creating a new society
evaluation
criticised- the theory takes official crime statistics at face value, these overrepresent working class crime, so he sees crime as mainly working class. it is too deterministic as the working class experience the most strain but they don't all deviate.
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