SOC 2700 Lecture : anomie and strain theory
21 Dec 2011
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Key ideas: goals-means distancing: there are different ways people react to achieving the goals of society, people want to achieve wealth and success. Lack of social regulation: modernity creates desires and goals, crime is functional to society. Institutional means are legitimate, if you don t have the means then problems are created for a lot of individuals. Merton s 5 modes of adaption: conformity: + + *accept the goals and the means majority of society. Innovation: + - *accept the goals but not the means = deviance. Modern version of strain theory: robert agnew s general strain theory. Idea of general goals (in addition to money) y things that aren t material but society says we should want ex. getting marries, having children etc. Another modern version: messner and rosenfeld s institutional anomie theory : us high crime rate due to culture, american dream erodes norms of society y. What prevents people from committing crimes: assumes the importance of socialization:
