SOCI370/Merton Social Structure and Anomie

Social Structure and Anomie - Robert K. Merton

Patterns of Cultural Goals and Institutional Norms: Diana Choi

Merton believes that deviant behaviour is the result of social structure and demonstrates how society creates a tension between culturally defined goals and the socially structured (institutionalized) norms. He argues that all societies have culturally defined goals, purposes, and interests but these goals are more or less integrated and involve various degrees of prestige (hierarchy of value). Which means that Since members of society are placed in different positions in the social structure (e.g. they differ in terms of class position), they do not have the same opportunity of realizing the shared values. Thus, institutionalized norms limit people achieving their cultural goals and such situation can generate deviance.

Merton saw the American dream as the goal of monetary success and those who have limited access to achieve that goal causing criminal/deviant behaviours (e.g. robbing bank, selling illegal drugs, prostitutions, etc.). The question that I would like to propose here is what are ways to prevent various acts of deviance?

Another thing I would like our classmates to think about is that people from middle/upper-class group and corporate companies engage in deviance even though they have an access to legitimate means. Do you think that Merton's socioeconomic status impacted his perception of why people are deviant?

Types of Individual Adaptation: Lili Wentworth

Merton differentiates five types of individual adaption: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Each of these types either adheres to cultural goals or doesn't adhere to cultural goals and uses institutional means to achieve these goals or uses abnormal or non-institutional means to achieve these goals. The types look at the different levels of deviation in society which are due to the social structure of a society. If there is a strain between the cultural goals one feels he should follow and the institutional means available to him, this can lead to adaptation types other than conformity. In other words, strain between goals (values) and institutional means (norms) lead to deviation.

I linked the concepts of types of adaptation described by Merton to Durkheim's types of suicide (anomic, fatalist, egoistic, and altruistic). Durkheim distinguished whether each type of suicide was associated with low or high regulation and low or high integration. Merton's five types of adaptation can be linked to Durkheim's argument by looking at how deviation from societal norms is a way of moving away from high levels of regulation and perhaps even to an extent, from integration.

For example, earning money for a living is a value or goal that is imposed on us by society and we are meant to achieve this through normalized institutionalized of working a 9 to 5 job. Durkheim would look at this by describing how when we have goals in mind, we are less likely to feel anomic and alienated from society. If an individual cannot earn the money he needs to survive by working, he might resort to robbing a bank (following the goal, not following the means: innovation). If the individual feels separated from the means to achieve a goal (e.g. low regulation), he might experience anomie or resort to anomic suicide.

Can you think of examples of each type of adaptation? Who determines what is considered deviant? If society says that something is deviant, does this inherently make it deviant? Can someone be a part of multiple types of adaptation? Can you think of other ways to connect Merton to Durkheim?

Comments by Rita Qiao Li: I think the problem of people has put much more weight on economic gainings have been affecting our society to a large extent. The example you gave was earning money, and it is exactly where my point is at. People have already made so much effort on making money, and it is now still continuing. By linking this with Durkheim's economic and anomie, everything in the face of economic has become smaller and given way to it. This has caused anomie in our society. And many people found some adaptions (i.e.: innovation) to boost their economic condition.

Deviance and Differential Class Symbols of Success: Madeleine Weir

Merton argues that deviant behaviour occurs when there are "certain common success-goals for a population at large while the social structure rigorously restricts or completely closes access to approved modes of reaching these goals for a considerable part of the same population" (p.189). This contradicting situation can be distinguished from a society where "rigidified class structure is coupled with differential class symbols of success" (p.189). Therefore, it not the class structure of a given society alone, nor the common success-goals, but the combination of both that promotes deviance amongst groups that are institutionally restricted from achieving such goals.

I feel that this is a compelling distinction within Merton's argument, that those in the lower echelons of a society are not necessarily more inclined to "resort" to deviant behaviour if they have a measure of success that is obtainable to them through socially sanctioned means. I believe that I saw this occurring in my travels in South Asia, where owners of simple guesthouses or eateries often seemed wonderfully proud of their establishment and did not appear to be pining for the symbols of success of a "higher" class. However, as capitalism and its toted wealth accumulation spreads across the globe, will this distinction amongst societies be eroded? There certainly is much crime and corruption in the South Asian countries where I had such experiences, and I have no way of knowing what kinds of "deviant" behaviour such individuals may or may not have been engaging in. As a globalized society are we promoting the common success-goal of wealth accumulation while many are institutionally restricted from achieving such a goal through sanctioned means? If so, are we subsequently promoting "deviance" on a global scale?

Rebellion as One Type of Individual Adaptation: Chantelle Ahn

In explaining rebellion as one of the five types of individual adaptation, Merton states that "conflicts between the norms held by distinct subgroups in a society of course often result in an increased adherence to the norms prevailing in each subgroup." (p.190) The desire to live up to the culturally accepted values, when collided with the overarching social structure, often push the members to resort to deviant behavior and resisting the normative system. The result may be "the development of new norms" (p.190) which can, depending on its size and power, form subgroups rather alienated and marginalized from the mainstream society or lead to revolution "[reshaping] both the normative and the social structure." (p.190)

I tried applying this concept of rebellion to some of the various subgroups existing within our society. The main ones that come to my mind are the members feminist and homosexual subgroups who, similar to Merton's argument, are growingly adhering to the values and norms enshrined in their subculture. When trying to classify the rebellion of the two mentioned subgroups into the category of further alienation or revolution, however, I find myself unable to come up with a clear answer. The feminist rebellions, throughout history, have definitely reshaped the normative and the social structure to a certain extent and so have the ones fought by the homosexual population, but the view of their culture as that of a subgroup is still prevalent in the mainstream society. What is your opinion on this? Why do you think so?

ALEXIS (comment) I think it's very interesting to trace the rebellious response outlined by Merton as it is embodied online. For example, subcultures emerge online that could otherwise not exist - alienated and disenfranchised people are entangled in the digital world. Just look at the hacktivist collective, anonymous and the citizen researchers who scan all the wikileaks files for valuable information. Hacktivism as a social and political phenomena is an action characterized by the creation of new cultural values and rejection of current ones and the rejection of institutional means by subverting these means (online infrastructure and security) to agitate and further an anarchist political agenda!

Mismatch Between Cultural Goals and Institutionalized Norms: Kami Tsukahara

Merton argues the reason for deviant behaviors in a society to be the mismatch between the degree of cultural goals and institutionalized norms that exist. By cultural goals, he means values set by society. He explains that an equilibrium is maintained in a social structure when the “satisfactions accrue to individuals conforming to both cultural constraints, … satisfactions from the achievement of goals” and norms. He also says that we should be most concerned about societies “which there is an exceptionally strong emphasis upon specific goals without a corresponding emphasis upon institutional procedures”.

I tried to apply this concept to what’s currently happening in the US. Merton brought up the “American dream” as an example. I highly agree with his thoughts on America as an “anomie”, especially now since there has been a lot of talk about immigrants living in the US. In America, monetary success is highly valued and many Americans work to fulfill their American dream. However, being able to do so isn’t as easy for some than others. Children born in lower income families are already disadvantaged and do not have the same opportunities as those born is higher class families. Although low-income families want to achieve their goals the means aren’t prepared for them to do so. Also, immigrants move to the US for success and a happy life but if you are born into such family you may not get as much support to achieve the “American dream” for many reasons; not receiving a good education, not given jobs etc. Children born in ethnic minority families would not have the same access to the means to achieve their goals as children born in white families. This unbalanced emphasis on values and means is causing “anomie”.

This lead me to wonder, how about other societies? Do we see any other examples in current society where we can see this mismatch in cultural goals and institutionalized norms?