Robert Merton Anomie THeory
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 such as anomie, strain, manifest and latent functions, self-fulfilling prophecy, deviant, and the theory of reference groups. His theories are usually concentrated on the understanding of deviant cultures. This essay would seek to evaluate some of Merton’s theories, its contribution to criminology, its criticisms and its applicability in modern times.
Merton’s Contribution to Criminology
One of Merton’s popular contributions in the field of criminology was probably the essay he wrote in 1938 titled Social Structure and Anomie. In his essay, Merton starts out his work by challenging some biological based theory that was popular at that time by arguing that crimes derives from societal conditions instead of biological traits.
Emile Durkheim, a prominent sociologist defined anomie is as an individual’s feeling of isolation from society and normlessness related to deviant behaviour, or suicide. Merton expanded Durkheim’s ideas by developing a similar explanation for deviant behaviour when he viewed anomie as “a breakdown in the cultural norms and goals and the social structured capacities of members of the group to act in accord with them.”1 Merton expounded on the phrase “The American Dream” by defining it as the cultural goal whereby acquisition of material wealth in the USA is illustrated as not just another aspiration but is associated with personal value and social status. The reason Merton came up with this theory is because he was living in the midst of “The
Merton’s Contribution to Criminology
One of Merton’s popular contributions in the field of criminology was probably the essay he wrote in 1938 titled Social Structure and Anomie. In his essay, Merton starts out his work by challenging some biological based theory that was popular at that time by arguing that crimes derives from societal conditions instead of biological traits.
Emile Durkheim, a prominent sociologist defined anomie is as an individual’s feeling of isolation from society and normlessness related to deviant behaviour, or suicide. Merton expanded Durkheim’s ideas by developing a similar explanation for deviant behaviour when he viewed anomie as “a breakdown in the cultural norms and goals and the social structured capacities of members of the group to act in accord with them.”1 Merton expounded on the phrase “The American Dream” by defining it as the cultural goal whereby acquisition of material wealth in the USA is illustrated as not just another aspiration but is associated with personal value and social status. The reason Merton came up with this theory is because he was living in the midst of “The
Bibliography: Books Merton, Robert K (1949) Merton, Robert K., Lazarsfeld, Paul F. (1950) Continuities in social research: studies in the scope and method of "The American soldier.". 3rd ed. Glencoe: Free Press. Merton, Robert K.,Nisbet, Robert A. (1966) Contemporary Social Problems: An Introduction to the Sociology of Deviant Behavior and Social Disorganization. 2nd ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World. Hirsci, Travis. (1969). A Control Theory of Delinquency. Causes of Delinquency. Transaction Publishers. Hirsci, Travis Merton, Robert K. (1938). "Social Structure and Anomie". American Sociological Review 3 Merton, Robert K Merton, Robert K. (1949). Social Theory & Social Structure. 1st ed. Illinois: The Free Press of Glencoe. Pfohl, S Hirsci, Travis. (1969). A Control Theory of Delinquency. Causes of Delinquency. Transaction Publishers. Hirsci, Travis Paul Helm (1971) The Philosophical Quarterly Vol. 21, No. 82 (Jan., 1971