Robert Merton's Middle Range Theory Summary

“Robert Merton’s Middle Range Theory of Structural Functionalism involved revisiting Durkheim’s earlier theories and revising them. What is a Middle Range Theory? What critique did Merton have of earlier functional theory and why did he feel the need to revise it? Explain Merton’s theory, including concepts of unanticipated consequences, manifest functions, latent functions, non-functions and dysfunctions. Give an example of each of these concepts.”

“Middle Range Theories are theories that seek a middle ground between trying to explain the social world in its entirety within a very small portion of the social world,” according to our textbook, Contemporary Social Theory and its Classical Roots, chapter four. The critiques that Merton had of

He felt that it needed revision in a way that could determine empirical tests which could produce more accuracy within a society. With these changes, the chance for measurability improved and therefore, functionalism could be tested within a society. As a result, Merton devised the paradigm of functional analysis. He was direct in his proposal to focus only on groups, organizations, societies and cultures. He wanted more order and patterns to be applied to anything that could be subjected to structural-functional analysis. The adaptation factor of functionalism was explained as being necessary for the cohesion of a society. His goal was to avoid individual motives. He spoke of non-functions as being irrelevant to the social construct. Much like a cancerous tumor would be to the human body, these items would only cause dissention and decay of the society in its entirety and therefore must be eliminated (or cut off). Another example would be a charity organization that only promised to cure chicken pox. This would be pointless in today’s society due to the immunizations that prevent this disease. Although the organization would not be deemed as harmful, it would not be viewed as helpful