Sociology 2259 Lecture Notes - Anomie, Social Control, Ritualism In The Church Of England
23 Apr 2013
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Remember from last lecture that functionalists view the deviant as curable: deviance occurs when something in the machine breaks down. They are stigmatized; their life options are diminished. Focus is on the individual not the system. This is the basis for the criminal justice system. There is no room in this theory to fix the system. Society is good does not need to be fixed. Strain has the capacity to push people into making deviant choices. Merton took durkheim"s anomie and added the idea of strain. The strain between aspirations of the individual and the expectations in society. Wanting to achieve the american dream puts strain on the individual. Assumption: money = success (shared cultural goals) If you cannot make money through legitimate means you have to look at illegitimate means. You conform to the culturally acceptable ways. There are only certain legitimate means to attaining these goals. Use of illegitimate means put one in the category of deviant.
