To What Extent Is Merton's Theory of Anomie Useful in Understanding Crime Today - Assignment Example

To what extent is Mertons theory of anomie useful in understanding crime today? Way back in 1940s, Robert Merton wrote in his article that biology isincapable of explaining the variation from one society to another society in the case of deviance or crime rate. Admittedly, in order to explain deviance rate difference among societies, he had to adopt the concept of ‘anomie’ from the work of Durkheim. In the words of Durkheim, ‘anomie’ refers to a situation where the norms of a culture break down as a result of sudden changes (Newburn 2007, p. 174). A perfect example of this situation is the suicide committed by someone as a result of economic depression. The person commits suicide because he is unable to achieve the goals he had learnt to be achieved by a successful person because of the depression (ibid, p. 172). Modifying this theory in a slightly different way, Merton claims that ‘anomie’ occurs when there is a lack of fit between the concept of success in life in a culture (goals) and the appropriate ways to achieve the same according to that culture (means). In simple terms, when the means allowed by a culture is insufficient to reach the goals a successful person should achieve according to that culture, people resort to various modes of adaptation. They are conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion (Jack 2012). According to Merton, conformity is the result when one individual accepts the cultural norms of goals and means. Innovation is the result when an individual accepts the culturally set goals but deviates from the culturally accepted means. Ritualism arises when people lose sight of their goals and continue pursuing the means. When the person rejects both the goals and means set by the society, the person is considered a ‘drop-out’ and this is termed ‘ritualism’. Lastly, there is rebellion when a person sets own goals and means instead of the ones set by the society. Out of all these, the one that is used to explain deviant behaviour or crime is the one called ‘innovation’. According to Merton’s strain theory, the likelihood of using illegitimate means to attain culturally prescribed goals increases when people are blocked from accessing the institutionally accepted means to the goals (Jack 2012). Admittedly, Merton’s work was based on what he saw in the American society in the first half of the twentieth century. There was the Great American Dream of extreme material wealth to all on the one side, and the harsh economic situations on the other. In addition, the society was divided into various social classes based on colour, caste, creed, and religion. Thus, Merton pointed out that in such a society where the minorities are not able to reach the culturally set goals, they are likely to adopt deviant behaviour to achieve the same as they suffer from strain. However, the ones who manage to overcome the hindrances and get what they feel as appropriate are unlikely to suffer from strain and are unlikely to show deviant behaviour. Admittedly, there are various works which depend almost entirely on the work of Merton. To illustrate, the work by Cloward and Ohlin points out that in American society it is important for people to aspire material wealth as success is measured by wealth (Jack 2012). However, the number of jobs was not sufficient to meet the needs of everyone who is qualified. In such a situation, the lower sections of the society are the ones who are most likely to be denied their chances of reaching their goals. As a result, they are the ones who are highly likely to deviate from the norms and look for other solutions (ibid). In fact, the claim made by Merton is supported by official crime statistics which prove that lower social classes commit more crimes than the upper ones. The explanation is that they are the people who are subjected to the greatest degree of strain. However, there is criticism from the part of Downes and Rock (2007) that monetary success cannot be considered as a cultural goal; and in fact, Merton almost fully depends on monetary success to explain his theory (Jack 2012). The second important allegation is that his work is ahistorical. In other words, there is no sustainable explanation as to why the society exists and exerts pressure on its members (ibid). In another important study, Kornhauser proved that delinquents, who are most likely to show deviation due to higher degree strain according to Merton, show low aspirations and low expectations. Thus, it becomes evident that anomie or strain will not explain the situation in this case. It seems that the work of Merton fails in the fact that it does not take into account other goals in life like health, happiness, family and so on. In other words, his work seems preoccupied with the American Dream which is not realistic in the case of other societies. Though his theory seems suitable to explain the people who work for financial achievements, it does not suit the people who do not have wealth as their main goal. However, his work seems sufficient to explain white collar crimes. Admittedly, people like Box and Passas consider white collar crime as a kind of innovative response by various sections of the business world when they face the strain to retain their profit levels when there bad economic situation (Jones 1998, p. 148). However, in other societies like the UK, a considerable amount of crimes are of other types, like rape and murder. In such cases, Merton’s theory has no explanation. Another important issue is the group crime which is often seen in juvenile groups. In such cases, the crimes are often the result of peer pressure; not economic gain. Moreover, there is lack of explanation as to why different people adopt different ways of response. The fact is Merton has failed to consider the impact of cultural and environmental factors on the way people adopt different ways of response. In total, it becomes evident that Merton has successfully explained how the lack of fit between goals and means set by a culture can lead to crimes. However, he has failed to take into account the influence of various other factors which can influence the way one commits crime; including cultural, environmental, and family factors. References Jones, S. P. (1998) Jones: Criminology, Butterworth, (Publishers) Limited. Newburn, T. (2007) Criminology, Cullompton:Devon. Jack D. (2012) Theories of criminal behavior, [Lecture Notes].   Read More