Robert Merton’s Theory of Anomie Essay

Now that we are familiar with the Classical Criminology theory, we can move on the Merton’s Anomie/Strain Theory which will allow us to then draw a comparison between the two, and see which stands a better chance of explaining what causes crime in today’s

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 in which have stemmed from these theories as well as explore the many similarities and differences between these two theories. Exploring the strengths and weaknesses in both approaches and concluding that although both theories are

Robert Merton’s (1938) strain theory attempts to explain why the United States had such high crime rates during that time as well as why certain groups are more likely to engage in crime than others (Book). During that time the Great Depression had hit America hard and immigrants were devastated. In addition, World War II had hit European countries hard and the United States was feeling strained. Merton’s macro theory argues that the cultural values in the United States are built on the idea that if an individual works hard he or she is able to achieve their goals. These cultural goals are strictly financial, including money, power, success and wealth and those who do not achieve these goals simply do not work hard enough. However, when society holds out these same cultural goals for everyone but does not provide the same access to legitimate means to achieve those goals, anomie occurs (class lecture). Anomie, a concept borrowed from Durkheim occurs when institutional norms are no longer in place and do not hold any power to regulate human needs and behaviors and thus, normless takes place and crime is a valid means to attain cultural goals. Furthermore, the methods or institutionalized means used to achieve the

This report will begin by making a distinction between the concepts of crime and deviance, accompanied by the concept that crime is a social construct. Then this report will evaluate some theoretical approaches to how and why crime exists. Further reference will be made to the existing crime statistics, and the validity and reliability of the official statistics that measure crime. Finally, this report will look into the presentation of crime in two areas of the mass media.

Merton further developed the concept of ‘anomie’ to describe an imbalance between cultural goals and institutionalised means. He believed that ‘anomie’ was the result from the absence of alignment between people’s socially desired aspirations, such as

"When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw," (Kazi, 2017). The modern societies around the world put a high importance on preventing criminal activity and rectifying behavior that leads to crime. In an ongoing struggle against corruption, many sociologists, and psychologists have done in-depth research to understand what is the cause of crime in our society. Initially, in 1893, Emile Durkheim first came up with the idea called Anomie Theory to explain why offenses take place in our communities. Durkheim reported that crimes took place in our society because there was a lack of ethical norms and social standards within our communities (Walsh, 2018).However, almost half a century later, Robert K. Merton developed Merton's Strain Theory to thoroughly explain why some people in our society are more likely to commit crimes than the others who don’t. Merton’s Strain Theory argues that corruption not only occurs in our communities because we lack norms in our society, but are also caused by the strains that are present among us as individuals which influence people to commit the crime. In his explanation, people will resort to achieving success through illegitimate means when they are blocked from acquiring success through legitimate means (Walsh, 2018). After studying the classical strain theories, I think that Merton’s Strain Theory explains street crimes such as robbery, theft, assault, and drug dealing better than

Few, if any, issues have been more troubling to society in general than that of crime. The problems are as well by no means new, as a range of theories and research efforts have historically sought to clarify why crime occurs, just as there remain concerns as to how best to treat and/or punish offenders. Within this subject, then, specific theories dominate study, and various scientists, psychologists and sociologists tend to support biological, psychological, or sociological explanations for criminality. Each theory, not unexpectedly, has value, as each approach addresses known factors of the nature of crime and those who manifest the behavior. Nonetheless, each theory is also inextricably related to the others, if only because human conduct and existence are invariably multifaceted.

Writing from the seclusion of his Hermitage in Bardstown, Thomas Merton was a prominent advocate for peace and non-violence during the Cold War era. Through his various writings on peace and war, Merton reflected on the systemic violence and injustice pervasive in American culture. In this “culture of overkill,” characterized by “its overwhelming preoccupation with the power of nuclear, chemical, bacteriological, and psychological overkill,” Merton looked towards the “classic way of religious humanism and non-violence” exemplified by Gandhi as a way to heal society (Merton, xxxix). Thomas Merton articulates his belief that Gandhian nonviolence could be something rooted in Christianity and offers insight on how nonviolence can break through

Throughout the decades many theorists have tried to define as to why an individual may engage in a ‘criminal’ manner. But we have to ask ourselves whether or not that is the right question. Travis Hirschi goes beyond and asks why do most of us conform to societal views, allowing him to understand what differentiates offenders from non-offenders rather than uncovering why someone commits a deviant act. Despite disagreeing with the others starting point, Hirschi did indeed attempted to mix the theories in with each other in order to explain social control. In this sense, control theory is not so much a theory of deviance as a theory of conformity (95). This essay will argue that Hirschi’s Social Control (Bond) theory is easily comparable and contrastable with Classical Criminology, Durkheim’s Theory of crime, and Merton’s Theory of crime

Anomie and conflict theory provide explanations for the cause of crime as it relates to interactions between others. They both stem from social norms and finding inconsistent information as it relates to the real world. These two vary in several ways, but they do present a few similarities as well.

Merton identifies five responses relating to this strain on the social structure of society ;

Strain Theories of Crime There are numerous sociological theories of crime causation. Some of these theories initiate with social class or family differences, educational hardships and occupational goals, with neighborhood and peers, and/or with the effects of official labeling. From a sociologist perspective crime is the product of social interactions and must be understood and examined in a social context. There are three major sociological theories of crime and delinquency: strain, social learning, and control theories, (Voigt, 2002).

Criminality has always been a topic of interest and debate. Theorists have attempted to explain why it is that criminals behave in such a deviant manner. Every theory has a different focus and way of explaining why people commit crime. Anomie Theory, also known as Strain Theory, emerged in 1938. The concept of anomie was brought about by Emile Durkheim, then expanded by Robert Merton.

Robert Merton’s anomie and strain theories have been regarded as a valuable analytical framework for studyieng deviant and criminal behaviors (Deflem, 2003). In 1938, Merton first presented his theory, which has become the springboard for plenty of subsequent theoretical discussions. His contributions on social structures and anomie has been frequently quoted and heralded as one of the most important theories in sociology. Although anomie and strain theory can be seen as an undisputed classic, the meaning and the status of his conceptualizations has continued to be debated over the years (Besnard, 1987 cited in Deflem, 2003). Some of the confusion over the limitation of Merton’s theory is about whether these theories can explain crime in contemporary society (Cole, 1975 cited in Deflem, 2003). In this essay, I will argue that Merton’s anomie and strain theories can be applied in contemporary society to a certain extent. It will focus on the cultural values in Australia.

Merton’s Anomie Theory believes that society shapes the cultural norms and values of people and also their aspirations and the approved methods of achieving such aspirations. Merton considers that there is a link between anomie in society and the difference between the levels of emphasis placed on aspirations and those placed on the means of realizing these aspirations in society; the smaller the difference the less likely anomie will occur. Merton also believes that crime is caused by society although he believes it is not useful to society; Merton believes that crime is a representation of the poor organization of society. In American culture, monetary success is the predominant cultural goal, but not everyone has the same access to attain it. Some people respond to this disjunction in criminal ways. Components of adaptation to strain include conformity which is when people embrace conventional social goals and also have the means to attain them, they can choose to conform. They remain law-abiding.