Strain_Theory

The Relation of the Oppressed and Opportunists in Society Merton’s theory does not focus on crime, but upon various acts of deviance, which may lead to criminal behavior. Merton believes that there are certain goals, which are strongly emphasized by a given society. People in society need means to reach those goals, such as education, and hard work. However, not everyone has the equal access within legitimate means, to attain those goals, which sets the stage for anomie. While Cloward and Ohlin’s opportunity theory was built mainly on Merton’s strain theory, they also assumed that the criminal subcultures and gangs are typically found among adolescent males in lower-class areas of large urban centers. They also attempted to account for what makes these subcultures arise and persist. Beyond these similarities, the Cloward-Ohlin theory has many distinctive features. In this paper I will elaborate more on Merton’s five adaptations to strain and how Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultures exist. Merton’s strain theory, and Cloward and Ohlin’s opportunity theory, were based upon the same concept. All three agreed that the working class is more likely to deviate, due to the fact that they have less of an opportunity to achieve success through legitimate means. They view the delinquent subculture as a reaction against the lack of opportunity and failure to attain mainstream goals. Their findings suggest that delinquent criminal behavior is more prevalent in lower class areas and among lower class youths. As Siegel (2009:182) writes, “According to cultural deviance theory, gangs flourish in an environment where there is strain and social disorganization.” This is parallel to Merton, Cloward and Ohlin’s findings, where you have strain and social disorganization, there will be the element of unorganized crime. Merton’s strain theory identifies five elements for people to achieve goals: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. The conformists will accept the goals that he or she has set up for himself or herself, and society’s expectations of the means to attain them. The innovator adapts and accepts societal goals but will not have the legitimate means to achieve those goals. Thus, they innovate their own means to get ahead, like robbery. In ritualism, they will not pursue any goals, but rather follow what they believe. They will live a safe lifestyle. Another adaptation is retreatism; the group of people who do not care about anything nor do anything. This group is usually into drugs or alcohol. They escape into a nonproductive, non-goals oriented lifestyle. The last adaptation is rebellion; they are the group who revolt against everyone or anything. They will create their own goals. Cloward and Ohlin do believe in Merton’s strain theory, but have an alternate view. They believed that the deviant behavior would depend on the people’s access to the illegitimate opportunities available to them. Cloward and Ohlin found that there are three types of delinquent subcultures: criminal, conflict and retreatist. The criminal subculture tends to develop in an area where an illegitimate structure seems to be present. Let us take for instance a gang; they will teach you what you need to know to survive on the street in criminal world. Then there is the conflict subculture; this will teach the criminals where illegitimate opportunity is not available. This part of the subculture shows that there is no legitimate or illegitimate successful goal and will form an unorganized criminal side. The final subculture is the retreatist; they have complete failure in whatever they do either by legitimate or illegitimate means. They will usually retreat to other means like drugs, alcohol or petty crimes. According to the Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice “The U.S. gang literature has often described drug dealing as unorganized, and low-paying, but the sale of drugs in the United States is tied to an international network of drug suppliers, cartels, and mafias that exercise enormous influence in communities and nations on a global scale.” Hagedorn (2005:160). This demonstrates that even though gangs are an unorganized subculture, they can hold a control over our community and our children. If they grow up in a community where this prevalent, their goals are dictated by these possibilities. With limited opportunity available for them to advance, they adapt to the environment by resorting to deviant matters. They may start out as young gang members to learn the ropes, usually absent of a father role model, thus the older gang members will become their role models. It is equivalent to when youths see others who are doing better, so they will do what is necessary to achieve that. Delinquents will see that their acts are moral to any lawful acts and this will negate the guilt of their actions. So in conclusion, both theories appear to have relevance to each other. They both believe that your social stature has a direct correlation to what you can achieve. As Merton says (1957: 138) “An important part of the mantra of the American Dream is the ethos that success and monetary achievement result from ‘personal’ strengths, that is, from hard work and determination of people with strong wills. Thus, failure in the United States is generally perceived as a ‘personal’ failure rather than a systemic flaw.” America is the land of opportunity, and thus creates an environment for achievement through any means. This thirst, coupled with societal implications, has given way to the blind means by which achievement is attained. “Keeping up with the Joneses” is the fuel of this fire, and the American dream is dictated by its addiction. Hagedorn, John, M. (2005). The Global Impact of Gangs. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(2), 153-169. Merton, Robert (1957) Social Theory and Social Structure. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press. Siegel, Larry J. 2009. Criminalogy. Belmont, Ca, Thomson Higher Education.