Merton argues that there is different 'modes of adaptation' .Some people conform which means that they accept the rules and the system of mertoracy and strive to achieve legitimately. However the people who are likely to conform are middle class and already have a good opportunity to thieve and succeed, this is mode in which most people perform. Others may innovate which means they do except the goal of money success. But don’t feel they would be able to reach this target legitimately so they use illegitimate opportunities such as theft or fraud to reach this goal. There are four forms of deviance, which he calls Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism and Rebellion.
innovation mode of innovation adaption may occur because people have not had access to legitimate opportunity structure because of poor education qualifications or unemployment mean that some people can't achieve goals. So they don’t conform as they see they can’t succeed thought the legimatcy as they didn’t have oppertunaties that would have help them to thrive. This why they look for an alternative –crime. Ritualism, typically occurs when someone gives up on achieving goals, but they stick to the way of society However a non-criminal conformist would take the conformity mode of adaptation where they accept the goals of society.
The ideology of the ‘american dream’ lets people to reach the goal by legitimate mean, this means they should learn self disapline, educated and get qualifications and hard work. This helps people (Americans) belive that there is a chance they can be rich and successful if they work hard, they would move up the mertoracy ladder. However realitly is sadly different many groups are denided access to the opportunities that would help them achive ligitimatly. This could be down to poverty, discrimination, lower class and ethnicity.
This results in the conflict between the cultural goals of money and the lack of opportunities to successes in the meritoractic society. Therefore there is a huge amount of pressure for people to reach the goals that is shared culturally.
To evaluate Merton shows that mainstream goals (of money, wealth, power) can result in normal (conformist) and criminal behavior (innovative mode). They both look for the same share cultural goal of money. However one achieves this legitimately and the other achieves this illegally.
Merton argued that working class crime was much higher because they had less opportunities to obtain wealth. Which suggests that Merton proposes that crime is a working class phenomenon. This is said to be too deterministic as not all working class people are criminals and show sins of the mode of adaption innovation.
Marxist belive that Merton ignores that the laws have advantages toward that ruling class and criminalize the poor
They belive that everyone shares the same goal of money wealth so there is a value consensus. However they don’t take into account people who don’t share these values.
The thory only accounts for crime that help people finally (gain money and wealth) such crimes like fraud and theft. The theory does not explain why there are domestic violence or vandalism.
The theory explaines how crime may occur because of the stain of anomie, but this ignores the role of group deviance.
by
syedabegum (student)
