Modes of Adaptation According to Merton - Assignment Example

This paper explores maximum ideas on the theories identified by Merton. Additionally, the paper agrees with the theory of adaptation. However, many, especially the lower class and lower middle class are mostly affected and thus unable to achieve their desired thoughts and achievements they keep to the social rules, they thus claim responsibility for their failure, and they continue to keep to their social. The best examples of conformists could be team leaders, students especially at tertiary levels, and also a part of workers or employees in an organization. Education and vocational ways are followed by these people to achieve their goals and gain more wealth.

Merton discusses innovation as his second mode of adaptation. Merton argues that most behaviors related to crimes can be categorized as innovative. Innovators are said to be people who live to embrace monetary and material success as a worthy goal, but also individuals who deviate or turn to crime when they realize that their experience or social status restricts access to genuine means of success. According to Gomme, the archetypal example of an innovator is a typical gangster young immigrant with intelligence and ambitions who abandons genuine means to succeedusingf corruption. A good example is a drug trafficker who desires wealth and the best social status yet the attempts of acquiring such ambitions are unfair and illegal. This means that innovators are not seriously offending others: individuals who fake their work experience or educational background in curriculum vitae or an interview would also fall in this class.

The third adaptation according to Merton can be said to be ritualism. Ritualists isolate the strain of anomie by reducing their aspirations of Victor to a point where goals are more practically achievable. They consent to their social status and caste, as well as adhere to the organizational means consistently as they are required to follow. Ritualists tend to avoid taking risks like a violation ofthe law, and in addition, they have no problem living within the confines of daily monotony. As Gomme describes, for ritualists; the means became ends in them.

A telemarketer or agent who is situated at a customer care desk can pose a demonstration about a ritualistic response. This agent will work hard and also behave conventionally on grounds that he/she accepts personal wealth and additionally social prestige. This will then make him/her have a revision on the goals so that he/she is subjected to the alignment of practical possibilities .it is also depicted that bureaucrats and administrators who are employed in large institutions also pose such ritualistic responses making their ambitions to be adaptable to the available possibilities for success. However, ritualists are not depicted as threats to the social and organizational structure since they maintain outward stability on socio-cultural norms and hence they do not break the law (Gomme 51).

Retreatism is discussed by Merton as his fourth adaptation. Retreats tend to have a more dramatic response to the stress of anomie. Retreats finally give up if they are driven by the forced expectations of social achievement through conventional and indigenous ways: they then turn back to the cultural goals and also the norms of the society that brings success. Durkheim posed an observation that stated that suicide can be viewed as a retreat which so ultimate.
Merton has several ideas on the aspect of adaptation. With his theories in mind, it is healthy that I support the theory with close reasons. The theories give me the satisfactionofn of laying down reasons to support the theory as discussed in the paper. Read More