Robert
Merton belongs to the functional paradigm in sociology and in the
"Structure of Society and Anomie" goes out to some extent against
Parsons and represents a critical current that accepts the functional
assumptions about the social system and dynamics and points out shortcomings
that the social structure brings with it.
Anatomy
according to Merton - This is a situation where there is no fit between the
norms and the values, this mismatch will create the social problems he presents
in the article. (Unlike Durkheim who led the interest in anomie).
Merton’s
explanation is structural, he tries to say how people will react to what is
happening in the structure. There are certain norms that limit the ways in
which we will reach the goal, there may be a contradiction between the norms
and the values, there may be a change in values but there is not enough
change in the norms, technical norms may be used - the goal sanctifies the
means. In American society there is a growing change, the technical norms are
the effective way to reach the goal, for this Merton gives the example of
sports scholarships.
American
society is moving according to Merton to a state where the goal sanctifies the
means, the crooks are valued, they manage to fulfill the values of the
company and reach the goals.
Merton gives
in "Structure of Society and Anomie" a long example of the
sanctification of the values of success in American society, each of us can
be a millionaire, but in fact there is an anomie - the means today do not
really allow to reach the goal and yet American society tries to convey the
message that anyone can succeed.
Different
Patterns of Individual Adaptation:
Society according
to Merton is made up of a group of individuals, although Merton divides them
into socio-economic classes this is his view of society. The emphasis on the
individual increases the functional aspect in him. According to the different
position of each individual in the social structure there is a greater chance
of a certain adaptation. Society puts pressure on everyone, some can reach a
high status and some not, according to the social position there is a high
probability that the individual will react in a certain way.
Conformity -
In order for society to be stable, the majority must be in this group, these
are the people who work hard, take advantage of opportunities by conventional
means, not necessarily to say that they will succeed in achieving goals.
Innovation -
stems from anomie, it's finding new ways because there are no existing ways,
Merton claims that people are much more criminal than we think, the question is
how much. He is referring here to white-collar crimes - upper and middle class,
for the lower class it is an organized crime that brings social prestige. For Merton
the people themselves are fine, the problem is in the functional structure, the
class structure is not really open and most crime will take place in the lower
class. Ceremonies
- Bureaucratic people, Merton says most of them will be from the middle class
because there is an education for certain values. Since they are middle class
they will not reach the goals, they act according to the norms but do not
really try to reach the goals
Abandonment
- Homeless people, nomads, drug addicts, etc. are a foreign element in society
and since they do not take part in the system of norms and values of society
they are not really part of it, their adaptation is private and isolated, most
of them will be from the lower class.
Rebellion -
takes the individuals out of the social structure, they do not accept the norms
and offer an alternative, these are immigrant classes, middle / lower class who
rise in social hierarchy, they are marked as traitors in society, there is an
opening to talk about change, in the future they can organize groups The future
in the social structure.
Criticism – Merton’s
critique of functionalism is great but it does not offer an alternative, it is
in the structure of Parsons but leaves an opening for future discussion.
see also: Mass Communication, Popular Taste and Organized Social Action / Lazarsfeld and Merton
