ABSTRACT
The “central hypothesis” of Robert K. Merton’s anomie theory is that a dissociation between goals held in a society and existing legitimate opportunities (i.e. avenues to reach the goals according to accepted regulatory norms) leads to deviant behavior. It is shown that Merton actually formulates a micro-macro model (see Figure 7.2.1) in which the social and cultural structures impact individual motivations for deviance.
From the perspective of rational choice theory (RCT), there are two behavioral alternatives (deviance and conformity) and two behavioral consequences (getting monetary success and complying to norms). Certain combinations of utilities and subjective probabilities model the “dissociation” between goals and legitimate opportunities. We further explore the possibility to explain kinds of deviance and conformity. Applying RCT suggests that many other incentives are relevant for explaining deviance. An important consequence is that there might be crime if there is no dissociation of goals and legitimate opportunities (if legitimate ways to reach goals are not considered). We further explore the effects different “emphases” of goals and norms.
