Social Structure and Anomie [pdf]
Merton argues deviance stems from a gap between cultural goals (wealth, success) and legitimate means to achieve them. When social structure blocks access, individuals adapt via conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, or rebellion, explaining higher crime among disadvantaged groups.
Background
- Robert K. Merton was a prominent American sociologist. This 1938 paper is a foundational text in criminology and deviance theory.
- Merton's "strain theory" argues that deviance arises when there is a gap between culturally prescribed goals (e.g., wealth, success in the US) and the legitimate institutional means available to achieve them.
- The "anomie" in the title refers to a state of normlessness or social instability that occurs when this gap is severe.
- Merton outlines five modes of individual adaptation: Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, and Rebellion.
- The paper helped shift explanations of crime from individual pathology toward structural conditions in society.