SOCI 2205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: White Supremacy, Devaluation, Insider Trading
27 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Strain Theory
Strain Theories
Robert Merton borrowed Durkheim’s concept of anomie but used it somewhat
differently
He argued that the problem of social disorganization is not caused by sudden
social change but by a social structure that holds out the same goals to all its
members without giving them equal means to archive them
oLooking at the impact of inequality on society, and how this causes strain
It can cause norms to break down because they no longer are effective guides to
behaviour
oIf you have no way to succeed within society, you will stop prescribing to
society’s norms
Merton used the term “anomie” to describe this breakdown of the normative
system
oAs a result of inequality of people within society based on their goals
Merton’s Theory of Anomie
in a class-oriented society, such as Canada’s opportunities to get to the top are
not equally distributed
othe lower you are, the harder it is to get to the “top”
very few members of the lower class will ever get there, if any
In Canada, we dream the “middle class dream”, as opposed to the USA where
they want to be famous or rich or smt
oThis is difficult for the same groups of people for Canada vs. USA
oThe lower class have to still go through expensive education etc.
oPeople want stability
oThey get there thorough hard work, education, dedication to the goals
Merton’s theory emphasizes the importance of two elements in society
oCultural aspirations, or goals that people believe are worth striving for; and
oInstitutionalised means or accepted ways to attain the desired end
Merton’s theory explains crime in Canada in terms of the wide disparities in
income among the various classes
Stats clearly demonstrate that such disparities exist
The rich are getting richer, and commandeering an ever-increasing proportion of
the income and wealth for themselves, while the poor are getting poorer
oVery prominent in the US
oThe middle class in the US is dissolving because they are splitting into
lower and upper class depending on where on the spectrum they were
before
The 10% of families with the highest incomes now have an income of $18 for
every $1 of income for the families in the lowest 10%
Opportunities to move up the social ladder exist, but they are not equally
distributed
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
A child born to a single uneducated mother living in a poverty-stricken area has a
significantly reduced chance to move up
The child of a middle-class family has a better-than-average chance of reaching
of a professional or business position
They are taught middle-class goals and middle-class norms
oThey are prepped for life in this world Vacations, tech, summer camps,
art lessons, sports, etc.
oIf they are lower class they probably didn’t have these opportunities so
they feel isolated if they go into a middle-class world such as college
oLower class are taught to conform to authority, they were expected to get
jobs that they have no upward mobility to make moves into management
etc.
Yet many people in society share the same goals
oEconomic stability, education, a job, a good life in general
Those goals are shaped by billions of advertising dollars spent each year to
spread the message that everyone can drive a sports car, take a well-deserved
vacation and record the adventure with an expensive digital recorder
The world has produced systems that are more rigid than our own and societies
that place much stricter limitations on people’s ability to achieve their goals,
without causing the problems that Canada faces
In the traditional society of India, for example, the untouchables at the bottom of
the caste system are forbidden by custom even to enter the temples and schools
used by those above them, while those at the top enjoy immense privileges
oCaste system allows NO social mobility
oEven if its legally been dissolved, the idea is still stuck in some people’s
heads
All Hindu castes call within a hierarchy, each one imposing upon its members
duties and prohibitions covering both public and private life
oNot marrying or dating outside of one’s cast system
People of high status may give food to people of lower status, for example, but
may not receive food from them
Members of such a rigid system clearly face many more restraints than we do
Why, then, does India not have a very high crime rate?
The answer lies in the fact that Indians learn from birth that all people do not and
cannot aspire to the same things
In Canada, the egalitarian principle denies the existence of limits to upward
mobility within the social structure
In reality, every in society experiences some pressures and strains, and the
amounts are inversely related to position in the hierarchy
Modes of Adaptation
Not everyone who is denied access to a society’s goals becomes deviant
Merton outlined 5 ways in which people adapt to society’s goal and means
Individuals’ responses (modes of adaptation) depend on their attitudes toward
the cultural goals and the institutional means of attaining those goals
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Robert merton borrowed durkheim"s concept of anomie but used it somewhat differently. It can cause norms to break down because they no longer are effective guides to behaviour: if you have no way to succeed within society, you will stop prescribing to society"s norms. Merton used the term anomie to describe this breakdown of the normative system: as a result of inequality of people within society based on their goals. Merton"s theory emphasizes the importance of two elements in society: cultural aspirations, or goals that people believe are worth striving for; and, institutionalised means or accepted ways to attain the desired end. Merton"s theory explains crime in canada in terms of the wide disparities in income among the various classes. Stats clearly demonstrate that such disparities exist. The 10% of families with the highest incomes now have an income of for every of income for the families in the lowest 10%
