Analysis Of Merton's Social Structure And Anomie

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INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY Exam 1 Please answer four of the following questions. Your responses should be exhaustive and address all parts of the question. While there is not a minimum length, to adequately answer each question, I would expect each response to be 2-3 paragraphs. 1. Please outline Strain Theory. Strain Theory is when people who experience a strain (event or conditions that are disliked by the individual) engage in crime. Robert Agnew used the example of a person who is desperate need of money or they believe they are being mistreated by their family members; thus becoming upset, experience rage of all these negative emotions. They may cope with these negative emotions through crime, although we all experience strains but …show more content…

There are two types of punishment they are positive and negative; whereas positive punishment is undesirable like serving time in jail or prison and negative punishment is removing something pleasant like social status, loss of status in a gang. Punishment is more effective when it is swift. Social function of punishment is giving an effect to the emotions rage of society’s norms that have been affected by criminals. 4. Please summarize Merton’s Social Structure and Anomie. Social Structure is the framework of social institution family, education, religion, and political views shape the relationships members of society have with one another. Social structure suggests that society prepares crime and those who commit the crime give it life. Structural theorist follows two general models of society, the consensus perspective or the conflict perspective. Merton expanded the Anomie theory to develop an expansion know as strain theory. He argued that acceptance of middle class values that created crime by putting the emphasis on financial success. The center of his theory was that American’s should all aspire to live the American Dream (monetary success) by which is obtained by legal means. Merton’s views on Anomie differed from others because he had more of a structuralist view; he had an unconstrained vision that led him to view society as a motivator for such

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