Robert K



Robert K. Merton

“Strain Theory”

Individual Level

Gap between economic aspirations (which all are encouraged to pursue) and structural reality (limited opportunity)

Policy Implications?

Increase opportunity for lower class youth

“Mobilization for Youth” Program

MERTON II

Culture

THE “American Dream” mentality

Social Structure

Unequal distribution of means for achieving the “American Dream”

Problems?

Preoccupied with Lower Class

Addresses only “Economic Crimes”

Everyone focused on the MICRO level theory

Messner and Rosenfeld (1995)

CRIME AND THE AMERICAN DREAM

“The Road not Taken”

Focus on Anomie at Macro level

Why is U.S. so crime-prone?

Culture = American Dream

Social Structure = more than $

The Culture: Elements of the

“American Dream”

Achievement

Individualism

Universalism

The “fetishism” of money

These elements encourage “Anomic conditions”

THE AMERICAN DREAM PRODUCES ANOMIE

MERTON: Pursuit of financial success is “limited only by considerations of technical expediency.”

Lombardi: Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

Social Structure More than Distribution of Wealth

Social institutions as the building blocks of society (make up social structure).

Functions?

Allow us to adapt to the environment

Mobilize and deploy resources to achieve collective goals

Socialize members to accept society’s normative patterns

Institutions in U.S.?

The Economy

The Polity

The Family

Education

Key Issue for M & R

These institutions sometimes have conflicting goals and values.

All societies can therefore be characterized by their distinctive arrangements of institutions

The U.S.? Economy Dominates: we are a “MARKET SOCIETY”

The “Market Society” as a play on words

A capitalist economy is referred to as a free market or “market” economy.

The term “market society” suggests that the entire society is dominated by the free market economy.

Indicators of “Economic Dominance” or a “Market Society”

Devaluation of non-economic institutional functions and roles

Accommodation to economic requirements by other social institutions

Penetration of economic norms into other social domains

Implications of Economic Dominance

Weak institutional controls

Family and School are handicapped in efforts to promote allegiance to social rules

Single parent families

Poorly funded schools

“Weak institutions invite challenge”

Culture, Social Structure, and Crime Rates

Empirical Validity of IA theory

New theory--only 2 good tests thus far

Both support IA, but have limitations

Chamlin and Cochran

State level variations in non-economic institutions modify the effect of poverty on economic crimes

Messner and Roesnfeld

The “decommodification index” across countries predicts homicide rates

Policy Implications of IA

The two main causes of crime are:

American Dream ethos (cultural)

Economic Dominance of other institutions (structural)

Change “money fetish?”

Time for America to “grow up”

Strengthen non-economic institutions?

Family, School...

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