Merton's Strain Theory

• The first strain theory was developed by the functionalist Merton who adapted Durkheim’s concept of anomie. 

  Merton states that deviance occurs when individuals want to achieve the success goals of society, but cannot achieve them in the legitimate way. There is “strain” between the goals and people’s abilities to achieve them.
• This creates the strain to anomie – or pressure to deviate.

  Merton argues the pressure to achieve the American dream is stronger than the social controls preventing people from committing crime, so people turn to illegitimate means to achieve their goals.
• Deviant Adaptations To Strain

  •Merton uses strain theory to explain some of the patterns of deviance found in society.•He argues that an individual’s position in the social structure affects the way they adapt or respond to the strain to anomie.•Logically there are five different types of adaptation, depending on whether an individual accepts, rejects or replaces approved cultural goals and the legitimate means of achieving them.
• Conformity


  Individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately. This is most likely among middle-class individuals who have good opportunities to achieve, but Merton sees it as the typical response of most Americans.
• Innovation

  Individuals accept the goal of money success but use 'new' illegitimate means such as theft or fraud to achieve it. As we have seen, those at the lower end of the class structure are under greatest pressure to innovate
• Ritualism


  Individuals give up on trying to achieve goals, but have internalised the legitimate means so they follow the rules for their own sake. This is typical of lower middle class office workers in dead-end, routine jobs.
• Retreatism

  Individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts. Merton includes 'psychotics, outcasts, vagrants, tramps, chronic drunkards and drug addicts' as examples
• Rebellion

  Individuals reject the existing society's goals and means, but they replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionary change and create a new kind of society. Rebels include political radicals and counter-cultures such as hippies.
• Durkheim And Merton

  Similarities

  •Both use Anomie as a key concept.•Both see too much crime as a social problem.
• Durkheim And Merton

  Differences

  •Durkheim doesn’t explain patterns of crime – but we can use Merton to explain why the working class seem to commit more crime.•For Merton, too much crime is seen as a sign that society is too unequal and materialistic so there is too much ‘strain’ to be wealthy.
• Eval

  •Merton shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goals. Both conformists and innovators are pursuing money success – one legitimately, the other illegitimately.•He explains the patterns shown in official crime statistics:•Most crime is poverty crime, because American society values material wealth so highly•Lower class crime rates are higher, because they have least opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately•
• Criticisms of Merton's Strain Theory

  • It takes crime rates at face value, which over represent working class crime, so Merton sees crime as a mainly working class phenomenon
  • It is too deterministic: the working class experience the most strain, yet they don't always deviate
  • Marxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce the laws in ways that criminalise the poor but not the rich
  • It assumes there is a value consensus – that everyone strives for 'money success' – and it ignores the possibility that some people may not share this goal