SOCL 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Group Cohesiveness, Mechanical And Organic Solidarity, Labeling Theory
2 Feb 2018
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Individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately. Merton sees as typical response of most americans. Individuals accept the goal of money success but use "new" illegitimate means such as theft or fraud to achieve it. Lowest end of the class structure likely to innovate. Individuals give up on trying to achieve the goals, but have internalised the legitimate means so they follow the rules for their own sake. Typical of lower-middle class workers stuck in dead end jobs. Individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts. Merton includes psychotics, outcasts, vagrants, tramps, chronic drunkards and drug addicts. Individuals reject the existing society"s goals and means but they replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionary change and create a new kind of society. People then behave in accordance to expectations surrounding the label they"ve been assigned or that"s been assigned to another.
