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S O M E C O M M I T C R I M E S
B E C A U S E T H E Y A R E
R E S P O N D I N G T O A
S O C I A L S I T U A T I O N
ROBERT K. MERTON (1910–2003)
D
eviance is universal,
normal, and functional,
according to French
theorist Émile Durkheim. He
argues that when people no longer
feel integrated into society and
are unsure of its norms and rules—
for example, during times of rapid
social change—they are more
likely to turn to deviant acts or
suicide. This condition is known
as anomie, a Greek word meaning
“without law.” In his article “Social
Structure and Anomie,” published
in 1938, US sociologist Robert
K. Merton adapts Durkheim’s
analysis of deviance, applying
it to contemporary US society
and arguing that such behavior
occurs as a direct result of strain.The American Dream
Merton suggests that the ideals
and aspirations connected with
individual “success” in the
US—the “American Dream” of,
for example, material prosperity,
and home and car ownership—
are socially produced. Not everyone
can achieve these goals through
legitimate means because certain
constraints, such as social class,
act as barriers to achieving them.
According to Merton, devianceIN CONTEXT
FOCUS
Anomie or strain theoryKEY DATES
1897 In Suicide, Émile
Durkheim uses the concept
of anomie to account for
differing suicide rates among
Protestants and Catholics.1955 US criminologist Albert
Cohen, a former student of
Talcott Parsons, says the
disadvantages faced by
lower-class men cause status
frustration, or strain, leading to
delinquency, which is seen as
a way to command respect.1983 British criminologist
Steven Box says some
accounts of delinquency, such
as those of Albert Cohen, fail
to explain the crimes of the
powerful in society.1992 US sociologist Robert
Agnew insists that anomie,
or strain theory, can be used
to explain crime and deviancy
but should not be tied to class.Societies provide people with
clear life goals.Some commit
crimes because they
are responding to
a social situation.Not everyone has
the means to achieve
these goals.Pressure to conform
and “succeed” leads to
deviant acts.