Section 6: Paragraph 11-12 Anja Hedji

To add on to Adriano's point, I think there can be connections made to Merton's idea of social structure and anomie. Institutions need social norms to exist, which exerts a definite pressure upon certain persons in the society to engage in nonconforming rather than conforming conduct. This can be tied to verstehen and the interpretation of thin and thick descriptions through the need of cultural and social context. The thick description can be expressed as being toward an interpretive theory of culture, but there needs to be a cultural understanding and norms in place within a society for individuals to understand and conform to these concepts and ideals of others. Through this and Merton's explanation of cultural goals and institution norms and the equilibrium achieved in society, it can be easier to tie together relating ideas to better understand the functions within it.