Robert Merton's Anomie Theory: The American Dream Today
Jenn P.
The American Dream Today
“The extreme emphasis upon the accumulation of wealth as a symbol of success in our society militates against the completely effective control of institutionally regulated modes of acquiring a fortune” (Merton). Have you ever looked around and noticed how much we emphasize money? Money controls so much of the American Dream that is causing a problem. Americans believe the amount of money you have is the end all be all in life and they are willing to do almost anything to gain it. The American Dream has deviated from the original meaning to mold to society today and the desire to constantly want more money. Money has been placed on a pedestal in the United States and because of this the American Dream has become …show more content…
First written about in the 1940s, Robert Merton theorized that the United States places a relatively strong emphasis on the goal of monetary success and a weak emphasis on the legitimate norms for achieving this goal. He believed that people would go to any length to achieve monetary success. Indicating that people would go so far as to commit crimes. People are pressured by society to reach this goal which is usually based on a monetary success. If they do not reach this set goal they will be categorized as quitters (University of Minnesota). The United States places the same kind of success on all it’s citizen regardless of race, ethnic, and class stratification even though these limit “the opportunities for success by those in the less privileged groups” (University of Minnesota). Merton’s theory coincides the most with his form of adaptation known as the “innovator.” An “‘innovator’ accepts the goals of society but pursues them with means that are regarded as improper” (Witt). Innovators are the people who break laws in order to reach the successful goals that are set by society. Merton’s theory still applies to the United States today because people still feel that if they do not have a large sum of money then they will be considered a failure to society, thus making people commit crime to get there. The strong emphasis on monetary success and the weak emphasis on how to gain it is the reason crime rates in the United States are higher compared with other
The American Dream Today
“The extreme emphasis upon the accumulation of wealth as a symbol of success in our society militates against the completely effective control of institutionally regulated modes of acquiring a fortune” (Merton). Have you ever looked around and noticed how much we emphasize money? Money controls so much of the American Dream that is causing a problem. Americans believe the amount of money you have is the end all be all in life and they are willing to do almost anything to gain it. The American Dream has deviated from the original meaning to mold to society today and the desire to constantly want more money. Money has been placed on a pedestal in the United States and because of this the American Dream has become …show more content…
First written about in the 1940s, Robert Merton theorized that the United States places a relatively strong emphasis on the goal of monetary success and a weak emphasis on the legitimate norms for achieving this goal. He believed that people would go to any length to achieve monetary success. Indicating that people would go so far as to commit crimes. People are pressured by society to reach this goal which is usually based on a monetary success. If they do not reach this set goal they will be categorized as quitters (University of Minnesota). The United States places the same kind of success on all it’s citizen regardless of race, ethnic, and class stratification even though these limit “the opportunities for success by those in the less privileged groups” (University of Minnesota). Merton’s theory coincides the most with his form of adaptation known as the “innovator.” An “‘innovator’ accepts the goals of society but pursues them with means that are regarded as improper” (Witt). Innovators are the people who break laws in order to reach the successful goals that are set by society. Merton’s theory still applies to the United States today because people still feel that if they do not have a large sum of money then they will be considered a failure to society, thus making people commit crime to get there. The strong emphasis on monetary success and the weak emphasis on how to gain it is the reason crime rates in the United States are higher compared with other