Robert Merton 's Deviance And Control

Robert Merton: Strain Theory Lashaya B. Jenae B. Raykyle H. Dominique W. Lidiya Y. Morgan State University Sociology 331-001 03/05/2015 Robert K. Merton developed the structural strain theory as an extension of the functionalist perspective on deviance. This theory traces the origins of deviance to the tensions that are caused by the gap between cultural goals and the means people have available to achieve those goals (Crossman, 2015)

Crime exists within the broad category of behaviour that sociologists call deviance, according to sociologist William Graham Sumner ‘deviance is a violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms, whether codified by laws or not.’ and crime is behaviour that breaks a law requiring a legal sanction. Crime is socially and historically subjective, as it varies depending on the time and place the act is committed, for example, homosexuality was illegal and punishable by death under the

Meyer R. Scholnick also known as Robert King Merton was born on the 4th of July 2010 in Philadelphia in a Jewish family from Russia that immigrated to the United States of America. He took advantage of the culture riches surrounding him by frequenting nearby cultural and educational venues when he was in High School. Merton's numerous childhood encounters composed a basis for his theory of social structure. The field of criminology and criminal justice has employed many of Merton’s prominent concepts

Chapter 7 7.1 What is Deviance? Deviance – behavior that departs from societal or group norms Crime – an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law Social Control – consists of the forces and processes that encourage conformity, including: self control, informal and formal control Criminal Justice System – the organizations - police, courts, and prison officials - that respond to alleged violations of the law The Biological Context

also compare and contrast the Functionalist and Marxist approaches to crime, outlining key theories such as Merton’s Strain Theory and White Collar Crime. Furthermore, I will be discussing the New Criminology in Britain using examples from the 1970’s. In the 18th century during the enlightenment, which led to new ideas of individual rationality and free will, the new era of Criminology began when writers such as Bentham and Beccaria developed their theories on crime and punishment, characterizing

Merton’s work has contributed greatly to criminological theory as he took a different perspective than Durkheim’s concept of anomie and reworked to the American context. The theories and concepts of anomie and strain that Merton argued have influenced the works of Cohen as well as the New Deviancy Theory and the New Penology. Therefore, Strain theory has evolved across time to encompass different situational circumstances of crime. Furthermore, due to the individual’s inability to achieve the appropriate

EVALUATE ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING PERSPECTIVES ON CRIME AND DEVIANCE Crime is a word that most of the people can relate to, according to Collins dictionary it means; violation of the law. (Collins 2005) Deviance is a more difficult word to identify , Collins dictionary definition is; people who have diverged from usual or accepted standards of society, especially in social or sexual behaviour. Su Epstein (2005) who has a PhD , describes deviance in cultural societies as; there are no laws about norms

Differential Association Theory Differential association theory was Sutherland 's major sociological contribution to criminology; similar in importance to strain theory and social control theory. These theories all explain deviance in terms of the individual 's social relationships. Sutherland 's theory departs from the pathological perspective and biological perspective by attributing the cause of crime to the social context of individuals. "He rejected biological determinism and the extreme

A Critical Comparison of Marxist Theory and Merton’s Strain Theory of Deviance. Introduction: This particular work will consist of a critical theoretical review and a comparative analysis on two criminological theories. For the comparison I have chosen Marx’s theory of crime and Merton’s strain theory of deviance. My critical comparison analysis will emphasise the central concepts and arguments within both theories and how each theory explains crime. The analysis will then explore modern day studies

neighborhood, he has thoughts of moving out. During my analyzation of the characters and their actions in the movie, I’ve related them to the criminological theories of social strain theory, social learning theory and Self-control theory. First of all, what is “Social Strain Theory?” Robert Merton who is a theorist and creator of Strain Theory has allocated that “strains” are instigated by United States social structure which dictates equivalent goals in terms of success and job status within all members of