SOC 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Anomie
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Second, each society establishes what it considers to be legitimate ways, or means, to reach these valued goals. In this society, for example, education and hard work are the legitimate and approved routes to achievement and success. According to merton, everything is fine in a society in which there is a good match between the culturally approved goals and the availability of legitimate means to reach those goals. In a wellstructured society, everyone will understand what the goals are, and people will be able to reach those goals by following socially acceptable means. In modern western society, however, there tends to be a significant gap, or disjunction, between goals and legitimate means. Under such circumstances, merton argued, deviant behavior ensues on a large scale. Merton understood that the american dream (the idea that hard work will lead to success) is frequently a myth.
