While Debra Marshall did an excellent job on describing Merton's Deviance Theory, I would say that to look at the theory and apply it to each individual in society is stretching it a little. I do not think that Merton's theory can be applied that way. If I think of 5 differernt people whom I have either known very personally or at least somewhat (former clients), co-workers, etc. I think that to narrow a person down to just one catagory here would be stretching it a bit. I can think of several whom I have known or worked with, that may perhaps fit into several of these catagories at once. And to say the Rebellious catagory can be likened to terrorists in today's society, I feel that the rebellious could also be linked to some individuals who are in the penal system (or have been or should have been). I think some of their behaviours could definitely fall under that catagory. And perhaps there are people who fall into more than one. Perhaps you have a lawyer (and yes, I know a lawyer that is exactly like the one I am about to describe) that still lives at home with his retired parents. He lives off their income in the fact that he pays no bills (no house payment, no car payments, no utility payment) when he is not working he is in his bedroom playing video games, he doesn't do any dishes, laundry, housecleaning etc. Yet it was expected by his parents to get a degree, get a job so he did. SO perhaps he falls under the Conformist and the Retreatist catagories. And then, perhaps there are those that want to be a conformist, but because of a disability or a life circumstance, they have to be a Retreatist or a Ritualist. And perhaps there are those that because of another circumstance started out as a conformist but ended up as an Innovator. (a doctor who perhaps had a back injury becomes addicted to Oxycontin and becomes a drug dealer or a thief to support his habit, which when addicted the drug becomes the god in which they will do anything to serve). So for Merton to state that an individual in a society will fall into one (vs more than one) catagory, to me seems a bit far fetched. As people are often to complex of beings to be catagorized so simply. Firecracker012
you definitely got more from the video than me I wasn't so impressed maybe because I lack interest in mertons theory. though her display was clear and understandable. I found myself getting very attached the rebellion part and when you spoke about someone getting a degree because ehtier parents did I see rebellion in that are as well through resentment and other ways (Aphi012)
I agree and understand your post and think it explains the concept of the theory very well. This theory is interchangeable and I suppose it is possible for one individual to fit into more than one category. I like how you gave examples to explain what your ideas were about such theory. It’s a great way to apply the knowledge of this macro-level strain theory into perspective. Lawpro012
I also agree with you and do not think you can just fit all people into these categories. I think there can be many exceptions. These categories are too broad, and like you said, people are way more complex then that. Starburst012
Great post! I totally agree we are far more complex individuals. Especially the retreatist who seek to conform but something continuously blocks their advancements. Or the innovator that turn from our society but yet find a way to be successful more so than any comformist. Such as the lawyer who is the drug dealer on the side? These broad categories can be expanded on for each individual case. BeeRose123
I agree with you on the note of this system only being accurate on a very broad scale. I also believe that a lot of the examples she used are far from accurate. An individual on a normal basis would fall under more than one category more often than not. Whovian123
well this video wasn't so interesting as the other but the video like most of them are informative. discussing deviance typology has its weaknesses. mertons theory had a few flawas the main one I noticed was that not everyone can go into one of these categories. in the part about rebellion she described people to be terrorist or criminals. simply because these people are upset with how the world is and of course they refuse to conform. ritualistic on the other are considered deviant because they don't have the same desire these people would usually be police officers social workers or school teachers basically people who see a greater purpose in the world. seeing her explain the rejection part of mertons theory makes since I kind of agree because ei cant find one human that does not fear rejection failure of many different things be it work school or relationship related. (Aphi012)
Yes the video was not as good as the first one and I agree not everyone can fit into one category or all the categories and maybe you can fit into one or two of them or you hit all five of them in your lifetime. Bfd6866012
I think this video was very informative about society strain in only one aspect, being the Merton Theory. This diagram was an interesting way of drawing the map, so to speak, of the mechanics and configurations for the theory itself. We must also take a step back before we even look at a set strain theory as different cultures have different values within every society. I like how the different levels are described in this theory. It pin points specific behavior as well as knowing that the deviant map doesn't necessarily work for an individual person. Sometimes in society its easy to pin point the behavior of an individual and see where they fall into place on the chart. Sometimes based on actions even long term, describes what the ideas are that individuals have. For example it talks about the Retreatist and how they reject the means and the goals within a culture. And how the Innovator has the deviance to steal, rob, and probably lie. I think this theory is very helpful within the study of criminology. Lawpro012
I agree with the way the chart in the video was set up. It was a good way to show the different level's of Merton's theory. It gave good examples for each level as well as bring light to how they are all different. I like how you pointed out that we must look at other cultures aspects before even diving into the strain theory seeing as how all cultures differ from one another. bama123
Exactly. I like the chart and the theory. Especially when it comes to the law. Understanding criminals with using this can help to stop them but also how to help them. And also how to help certain people before they get to the point of breaking the law. Helping them to change their thoughts or the way they want to achieve their goals. Especially with todays youth with programs and more opportunities. But using this way of thinking is the first step to identify it ScientistSalarian012.
I agree to a degree with Merton's Theory of charted behaviors, however, I think that one person cannot simply be placed into a catagory by a criminal psychologist or whomever is doing the evaluation without a more in depth look at who the person is and why. Just to drop someone off in a catagory and say, "Yep, you're this. Got you figured out. See ya" is a little bit too blase'. A person's psyche is typically far too complex for that. As far as the criminal side of things, yes, I think this could be used. But what happens when you look for the reason(s) that criminal is behaving or became that way? Do you believe that upon a deeper investigation that you could trace this catagorical behavior back to infancy? I do not. I think that life or life's circumstances play a huge part in who a person is and who they choose to become. firecracker012
I think it was good that someone broke it down as a guideline somewhere to start. You can put people in the Different categories. You can go through life and be in all five or one or two of them. I still believe that categories you fallen to with the strain theory starts at birth. Starts with who raises you, gender environment, culture, money, genes that you are born with. But there is always can be something that happens in your life that can change everything or throw you into another category. We can have everything given to us be in a perfect life and you just fall into the rebellion part. BFD6866012
How people are raised determines what kind of category they can fall in but it is also a persons choice of how they choose to live there life. I also think it is good that someone broke down the categories and it is very true and it separates classes of people. It is so true that life experiences can change a person and change which direction they choose to follow and the path they choose to walk down. dolphin 123
I agree. There is no clear cut evidence by the way you were born into society that you will end up in a specific category of the strain theory. Many outside influences will change peoples actions and choices of how we live our everyday life. Some of those of incidents based on fate, others are the bad choices we make, some are the good choices we make, etc. Hbaby31012
This video was interesting some. It is true that people live differently and not everyone fits into categories but i do see a lot of the points. The part with the 40 year old living at home really happens. That is why us parents have to have control of our children not the children controlling us. I know teenagers like to be sometimes lazy but that has to be broken because it can lead to adult life. I do not believe everyone falls into a category at birth that they will stay in forever. For example, you have children who are raised in a drug life who end up going to college and being very successful. The group that is not willing to go to college or get an education to have a better life will suffer to some degree because of it. Everyone makes there choice in life even if it is following there culture on not following there culture. dolphin 123
I agree I also feel that you aren’t automatically placed into a category when you’re born. I feel it takes time for a person to develope because people change as they grow up no matter what environment they were raised in. Rawr_BIL_123
I agree with this not everyone can be put in a category for life because what if they change one day. we are not born the way we gonna stay for life we can change USA123
I think people have to see evidence and proof of conformity as they are growing up, if you live on the streets, or have a broken family and no one has ever gone to college people will choose to conform to the way of life that they have grown up surrounded by. There is almost always an influential inspiration that changes peoples ways of how they want to live and who they want to become, to better themselves. It takes hard work and dedication to achieve the goals and live by conformity especially if you come from nothing in order to achieve something. A lot of members of society want to make the quick buck and there is no such thing. Hard work and dedication is what it takes to truly achieve goals and become successful. The question is whether people want to take this path or not. I would like to think that everyone has a window of opportunity in their life and everyone has to work for what they want. With every bad choice there is a risk, the risk that you will end up in jail, the risk that everything you have will be taken away in a moments notice. The strain theory are the facts, but the choices we make are what will put us into those categories of conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, or Rebellion. Hbaby31012
I am not exactly sure how ritualism is a deviant act. How is going to work because you love it and the money you are making deviant? That does not make any sense to me. More people should actually be like this instead of getting a job just because you make bank doing it. I'm aware that money drives pretty much everything in this world but it should not be the soul purpose of your life. Do something you love that pays well. I just don't agree with ritualism being a deviant behavior. To me that should be alongside conformists. It is not the same thing as conforming but goes along with it. bama123
I agree with your comment completely. It seems odd that we must be so focused on attaining money in order to avoid being labeled as deviants in this world.
I also Agree i think this is to narrow view for a society such as America when we are considered the great melting pot, or salad bowl how ever you learned it. There are many societies in america that can differ from region to region and to say or compare the normal society to one thats just about money and having a job i think is a bit harsh on judgment for most societies that preach love and family or religious devotion. Scraut22
I do agree with your explanation of why ritualism should not be a deviant fact, although money really is important to live in our society today it really should not shape the reason for why a person chose to go into a certain profession and I do consider ritualism more of a noble cause than a deviant one. Runner123
I enjoyed Doctor Marshall’s video on Robert Merton’s theory of deviance. I found it interesting that Deviance turned out to be a functional theory. I never realized how much it focused on the functions of society as well as the functions deviance has on a society itself. I also took a liking to how the “Ritualist” group is considered to be a group of deviants. That honestly shocks me, because growing up; I was told money should not be the focus of my future. I was told to just make a difference in the world. Even though it is very common, and applies to law abiding citizens, it is just odd because when you think of ‘deviants’ you think of people who have no regard for the rules or people around them. It almost makes me feel like, I am growing up to be a deviant, where being a deviant is something you want to avoid if you want people looking up to you and not down at you as an individual. Doctor Marshall's video turned out to be pretty good, overall. -JrMac95012.
I too was interested to learn that deviance was a functional theory. It was interesting to see how many different effects it can have on society as well as on the people close to it. The ritualist group was a wonderful group as well, interesting to think about, about how when you think deviants you think bad when in all actuality it doesn't always mean that at all. saxophones012
I agree with you about the ritualists too. I was shocked as well because when I think devient its always negative but some of our greatest role models were devients. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi were both devients but both had great goals and ideas. Overall it changed how I feel about the word devient. Zipping123
I liked the way she categorized the goals and means. This didn't really help since it was already described perfectly in class. I understood it both times but she went further into who it would be and in class our teacher went further into what the goals and means are. I think you could put every single person into one of these catagories unless you are talking about how a person thinks. Interaction theorists might say we have means and goals we show others but the ones we actually believe in are different. I may accept the means and not the goals but others push me to accept both. Also people with disabilities may accept both but can not do either. Maybe they should have a physical means and goals and a mental means and goals. Also some people may accept both but won't do both because they don't make enough money. Innovators do not always mean drug dealers either it could mean people on disability or welfare. Zipping123
I agree with this because its is very true there are many people that don't have the mental capacity to do what we believe is the right thing. also life is full of struggles so weather you believe in both or not when life gets hard you might see another point of view because of the situation you are in at the time. Bearsfootball123
I thought this video did a good job of putting deviance theory in a better perspective for me but I do not exactly agree with everything she said. I would say that people can be put into multiple categories, but just one. I think the rebellion does make complete sense for being the most criminal but I also think that there can be criminals built from the other categories as well I just do not think it is fair to put people in these categories. Or at least all people. I do although agree with what she said about most people being conformists, which is accepts goals and means. I do think most people want to fit in with society and so they accept the rules, and the ways of society. starburst012
I believe this was a cool look into what is considered deviant. I did not know i would be considered deviant even though have been always compelled to follow most rules give or take a few more when i was young but cant we all say that? I think though this theory gives a very one directional look how ever at a multi-faceted society such as the American society where we are a tapestry of many cutlers and many social characteristics. This theory kinda seems to point more in a fascist view of how can we get every one to play along instead of directly looking into the fact not all society in America only values work and money. Maybe if she would have used a few more examples of what society goals could be and maybe i need to look more into the theory before i cast my judgement and look into if it allows small pockets and or multi society goals for a single society. Scraut22
The video helps a lot by giving examples of who would fit into each category. The ritualism category really does fit the roles of social workers like firefighters, police officers, teachers, and many others that work for the fulfillment of their calling for the betterment of society. Innovation was a positive word for the categorization of people who accept the fact that they need money, but then there comes the means of doing things that society deems as wrong. This is possibly pushed into effect because of the social inequality that is present in our society the lack of education or simply desperation. Retreatism speaks the truth about grown ups still staying in their parents house who play video games all day because the parents give the individual the needs while others independently work for it. Rebellion was categorized as the traits of a terrorist due to their wants of new goals by new means. And Conformists is your everyday person who works for their goal through legal means. These categories help me build an understanding of how each person fits into the category they are meant to be. Although I do consider myself a retreatist, I still do have some traits of conformity because I would like to gain the goal through the work that I know would be beneficial to society in order for me to live a healthy life. Runner123
Mertens Theory of Deviance is very simplistic and much appreciated. He broke it down where it was understandable and with me once I get the general concept I can understand the complexity of other theories. I never thought there was a theory that generalized our goals and means as such and I am very glad to be learning. I do agree that for each individual person this may not fit or it may be possible to have multiple parts to who they are. I would say I have been all the above through out my life so far and as of right now I am conformative. BeeRose34
I like the way that she broke down Merton’s theory by graphing institutionalize means over cultural goals and with the acceptance and rejection boxes. I feel everyone thinks conformity in this society just everyone isn’t able to be conformity because they may not have the education as others to get that perfect job so they have to get their money some other way which puts them into different category such as ritualism, innovation, or retreatism. I also feel that a person can fit not only into one category but they can fit into multiple ones. But overall I thought the video was good if you didn’t know about Merton’s theory you could easily learn about it by watching this. Rawr_BIL_123
The break down she did was very good and it just highlighted what we where taught in class. I feel the same why that people can fit into more than one box and can move around from box to box from what life has thrown at them. And the video was easy to understand with her simple break down of it.USMCgrunt_123
We always think the word deviant as a person who is bad for society. I enjoy strain theory because it shows deviance as someone who goes about things different than most people. Whether that be by rejecting the goals or means or keeping one or the other. It makes me think about how people who changed society for the better were deviant. Though people who also changed society for the worst. It makes it seem like deviance is what can make a society change at all. And then that way of thinking and life can become conformity. I had never thought of it like that before but now I'll be looking at different groups of people and seeing how deviant they are so to say or more so what category they fit into. ScientistSalarian012
I agree with your post about people that changed society were considered deviants because they weren't going with the flow of society. Famous people in history were never the people wanting to conform to societies outlooks for the world so i agree with your post completely. baseball123
I agree with the video and that there are categories to put people in. I do not believe that every single person has a category to go in. People are way to diverse and different for that. There are also thing that drive people into categories like money. Like she said money can drive you to go to school for a good job, but it can also drive you to go rob a bank. I like the rebel category too because it's so real in today's society. We are in pointless wars because people don't like how free our country is or because or because we don't like people's customs. RRFBall012
I believe this system is only accurate on a very broad scale. I also believe that a lot of the examples she used are far from accurate. Someone who falls under a class for example the innovation class, doesn't mean they would always be a deviant like a drug dealer in fact I believe that the chance is going to most likely lean towards the individual being pretty normal. An individual on a normal basis would fall under more than one category more often than not. This system of classification has quite a bit of actuality to it, although if it was attempted to be used for all of society the results would be very negatively based. But like I previously stated, this system could possibly be useful for society as a whole. I think this theory holds up better when paired up with Hirschi's Social Bond Theory. Whovian123
I agree that it is accurate on a very large scale. However, I think that she just gave a few examples and that the examples that she stated were not exhaustive of the people in that certain category. Obviously when as one gets more into detail about their goals and means there is going to be some overlap and grey areas between the groups as well. Milly123
I think this scale is somewhat ok but we are all different in many way.this theory did a great job in breaking it down for us to see it in many ways. But this theory is basically telling you that's what your gnna be for the rest of your life. well everybody is just so complex that they can change if you ask me . USA123
This system is accurate in my opinion. While I was watching this video I could think about different people and different groups of people that would fit into the different spaces. I know for me in high school there where all these different types of people instead of the American dream it was getting an education. From the kids that never showed up to school to the ones that would get straight A’s. People weather they like it or not can all fall into one of these categories. And the conformist is the biggest group of them all. People can move around in society from poor to rich, using different means. Like the man that did everything right for years being a conformist working his butt off then start selling drugs and gets rich. Has moved his place on the chart. Everyone is trying to get the American dream and people will try anything to reach it.USMCgrunt_123
I agree with a lot of this. I do dis agree with the part that if you accept the means and reject the goals than you should not be labeled a deviant because if you go out and do what you think you are called to your job but you don't worry to much about the money you make, that's okay because if you can make a living by doing something that makes you happy everyday you go to it that would be great. Now the rest of this theory i believe is great because if you reject the means of life than you must make money the way you want to and many times that involves breaking the law. Bearsfootball123
I agree with this video for the most part. I believe that the conformist group has the most people in it but I also think that there are a lot of people that are not in the conformist group. I think that most people conform to the goal of money and press towards obtaining that goal. I appreciate what the ritualists such as the teachers, firefighters, police officers, etc. do because they are the ones who accept the means but reject the goals meaning that they make less money but do their jobs because they love what they do. We need those people in order for society to function. I believe that the people in each one of these categories contributes to society and makes society what it is. Also, in my opinion there is some overlap in the different categories. People could fall under a couple different categories depending on the situation at hand. People can change from category to category throughout their life. For example, is someone means to the goals is illegal; they can change their ways to legal and become a conformist. Milly123
I think in today's society there are people out there that are considered deviant because they have different morals to different things as someone who is in the conformity group. For example, most states have made same sex marriage legal. But when the governor of each state first expressed how they thought about legalizing same sex marriage, they were looked at by some people as deviant because their thoughts and ideas weren't the same as someone in the conformity category or the innovation category. Most people in life want to be excepted by other people so they more than often conform to society to fit in with everyone or to be liked. An example of that would be the way people dress. A famous hip hop artist may wear his/her clothes a certain way. So people see that and begin to dress that way. And once most people realize that everyone around them dresses that way, people conform and dress that way also to fit in with everyone. I think this video had many good points about the 5 different categories of Merton's Deviance Theory. baseball123
Baseball123, I highly agree with you in this point you make. I also believe that the people of society too often hinder their ways of thinking, which may be way outside of the box, in order to conform to the ways of society. If we can learn to de-stigmatize these "abnormal" thinkers, I believe we can continue to advance our society in an incredibly positive direction. There are too many wonderful thoughts and ideas people have to share for society as a whole to be hindering certain ways of thinking. GoCardsGo_123
The point in this video which stood out to me the most was when the narrator was describing the four different elements of Robert Merton's deviance typology. The one element that stood out to me the most out of these four elements was the conformity element. The example she uses is the process of obtaining money people go through while in our society. She states this is the most common form of conformity for most citizens today. I agree with this statement to an extent, however, I also believe that there are many success stories of people who refused to conform in order to become successful. I think society too often stigmatizes people who refuse to conform to the norms of society and immediately labels them as deviant because they are different than everyone else. -GoCardsGo_123
While I believe this system can apply to everyone, it should not be interpreted by a strict sense, but by a loose and broad spectrum, to what extent is someone a ritualist, an innovator, a retreatist, or a rebel? Even someone with more rebellious tendancies could be considered a conformists.
I don't think that this typology necessarily defines who is and is not successful, many conformists in my humble belief are just the opposite, Imagine someone with the goal of money and means, but unknownly to that person they will never achieve their goal, example could be someone making a career out of something that may not produce much results.
I think that just about anyone could be placed into one of the four categories.
While I understand that the "ritualist" is considered deviant because they don't have the importance of money like the rest of society, Every person may deviate slightly from the above typology, some Extreme Rebels, I have observed seem to exibit traits similar to ritualists and innovators but the main foundation of these categories will consistently define anyone.
The retreatist lacking the goals and not caring for the means but still fine with living within the frame work of society ( provided their needs are met) appears to be the most volatile of the types. What does someone with no goals, no means, yet do not have their needs supplemented by an alternative ? ( I.E. parents taking care of you forever) Does the Retreatist place greater risk of becoming an extreme rebel or an innovator? If internalizing the means are not there, the ball could swing either way it seems.
Out of the innovator, ritualist, retreatist, and the rebel. The one that stands out the most is...for the purpose of Juvenile Delinquency would be the innovator. The goals are there, but the means those goals are achieved are not on par with how society would expect such an individual to reach those goals.... petty theft, larceny, or even a pro who goes after the big $ items.
Rebels may be the most dangerous, but I don't necessarily think they are the one's of greatest concern.... yes terrorism is a credible threat, but you have a greater chance of being mugged or robbed by someone for money (Innovator) than you do getting attacked by ISIS or Al Quaida, or some eccentric Idaho militia.
While Debra Marshall did an excellent job on describing Merton's Deviance Theory, I would say that to look at the theory and apply it to each individual in society is stretching it a little. I do not think that Merton's theory can be applied that way. If I think of 5 differernt people whom I have either known very personally or at least somewhat (former clients), co-workers, etc. I think that to narrow a person down to just one catagory here would be stretching it a bit. I can think of several whom I have known or worked with, that may perhaps fit into several of these catagories at once. And to say the Rebellious catagory can be likened to terrorists in today's society, I feel that the rebellious could also be linked to some individuals who are in the penal system (or have been or should have been). I think some of their behaviours could definitely fall under that catagory. And perhaps there are people who fall into more than one. Perhaps you have a lawyer (and yes, I know a lawyer that is exactly like the one I am about to describe) that still lives at home with his retired parents. He lives off their income in the fact that he pays no bills (no house payment, no car payments, no utility payment) when he is not working he is in his bedroom playing video games, he doesn't do any dishes, laundry, housecleaning etc. Yet it was expected by his parents to get a degree, get a job so he did. SO perhaps he falls under the Conformist and the Retreatist catagories. And then, perhaps there are those that want to be a conformist, but because of a disability or a life circumstance, they have to be a Retreatist or a Ritualist. And perhaps there are those that because of another circumstance started out as a conformist but ended up as an Innovator. (a doctor who perhaps had a back injury becomes addicted to Oxycontin and becomes a drug dealer or a thief to support his habit, which when addicted the drug becomes the god in which they will do anything to serve). So for Merton to state that an individual in a society will fall into one (vs more than one) catagory, to me seems a bit far fetched. As people are often to complex of beings to be catagorized so simply. Firecracker012
ReplyDeleteyou definitely got more from the video than me I wasn't so impressed maybe because I lack interest in mertons theory. though her display was clear and understandable. I found myself getting very attached the rebellion part and when you spoke about someone getting a degree because ehtier parents did I see rebellion in that are as well through resentment and other ways (Aphi012)
DeleteI agree and understand your post and think it explains the concept of the theory very well. This theory is interchangeable and I suppose it is possible for one individual to fit into more than one category. I like how you gave examples to explain what your ideas were about such theory. It’s a great way to apply the knowledge of this macro-level strain theory into perspective. Lawpro012
DeleteI also agree with you and do not think you can just fit all people into these categories. I think there can be many exceptions. These categories are too broad, and like you said, people are way more complex then that.
DeleteStarburst012
Great post! I totally agree we are far more complex individuals. Especially the retreatist who seek to conform but something continuously blocks their advancements. Or the innovator that turn from our society but yet find a way to be successful more so than any comformist. Such as the lawyer who is the drug dealer on the side? These broad categories can be expanded on for each individual case. BeeRose123
DeleteI agree with you on the note of this system only being accurate on a very broad scale. I also believe that a lot of the examples she used are far from accurate. An individual on a normal basis would fall under more than one category more often than not. Whovian123
Deletewell this video wasn't so interesting as the other but the video like most of them are informative. discussing deviance typology has its weaknesses. mertons theory had a few flawas the main one I noticed was that not everyone can go into one of these categories. in the part about rebellion she described people to be terrorist or criminals. simply because these people are upset with how the world is and of course they refuse to conform. ritualistic on the other are considered deviant because they don't have the same desire these people would usually be police officers social workers or school teachers basically people who see a greater purpose in the world. seeing her explain the rejection part of mertons theory makes since I kind of agree because ei cant find one human that does not fear rejection failure of many different things be it work school or relationship related. (Aphi012)
ReplyDeleteYes the video was not as good as the first one and I agree not everyone can fit into one category or all the categories and maybe you can fit into one or two of them or you hit all five of them in your lifetime. Bfd6866012
DeleteI think this video was very informative about society strain in only one aspect, being the Merton Theory. This diagram was an interesting way of drawing the map, so to speak, of the mechanics and configurations for the theory itself. We must also take a step back before we even look at a set strain theory as different cultures have different values within every society. I like how the different levels are described in this theory. It pin points specific behavior as well as knowing that the deviant map doesn't necessarily work for an individual person. Sometimes in society its easy to pin point the behavior of an individual and see where they fall into place on the chart. Sometimes based on actions even long term, describes what the ideas are that individuals have. For example it talks about the Retreatist and how they reject the means and the goals within a culture. And how the Innovator has the deviance to steal, rob, and probably lie. I think this theory is very helpful within the study of criminology. Lawpro012
ReplyDeleteI agree with the way the chart in the video was set up. It was a good way to show the different level's of Merton's theory. It gave good examples for each level as well as bring light to how they are all different. I like how you pointed out that we must look at other cultures aspects before even diving into the strain theory seeing as how all cultures differ from one another. bama123
DeleteExactly. I like the chart and the theory. Especially when it comes to the law. Understanding criminals with using this can help to stop them but also how to help them. And also how to help certain people before they get to the point of breaking the law. Helping them to change their thoughts or the way they want to achieve their goals. Especially with todays youth with programs and more opportunities. But using this way of thinking is the first step to identify it
DeleteScientistSalarian012.
I agree to a degree with Merton's Theory of charted behaviors, however, I think that one person cannot simply be placed into a catagory by a criminal psychologist or whomever is doing the evaluation without a more in depth look at who the person is and why. Just to drop someone off in a catagory and say, "Yep, you're this. Got you figured out. See ya" is a little bit too blase'. A person's psyche is typically far too complex for that. As far as the criminal side of things, yes, I think this could be used. But what happens when you look for the reason(s) that criminal is behaving or became that way? Do you believe that upon a deeper investigation that you could trace this catagorical behavior back to infancy? I do not. I think that life or life's circumstances play a huge part in who a person is and who they choose to become. firecracker012
DeleteI think it was good that someone broke it down as a guideline somewhere to start. You can put people in the Different categories. You can go through life and be in all five or one or two of them. I still believe that categories you fallen to with the strain theory starts at birth. Starts with who raises you, gender environment, culture, money, genes that you are born with. But there is always can be something that happens in your life that can change everything or throw you into another category. We can have everything given to us be in a perfect life and you just fall into the rebellion part. BFD6866012
ReplyDeleteHow people are raised determines what kind of category they can fall in but it is also a persons choice of how they choose to live there life. I also think it is good that someone broke down the categories and it is very true and it separates classes of people. It is so true that life experiences can change a person and change which direction they choose to follow and the path they choose to walk down. dolphin 123
DeleteI agree. There is no clear cut evidence by the way you were born into society that you will end up in a specific category of the strain theory. Many outside influences will change peoples actions and choices of how we live our everyday life. Some of those of incidents based on fate, others are the bad choices we make, some are the good choices we make, etc. Hbaby31012
DeleteThis video was interesting some. It is true that people live differently and not everyone fits into categories but i do see a lot of the points. The part with the 40 year old living at home really happens. That is why us parents have to have control of our children not the children controlling us. I know teenagers like to be sometimes lazy but that has to be broken because it can lead to adult life. I do not believe everyone falls into a category at birth that they will stay in forever. For example, you have children who are raised in a drug life who end up going to college and being very successful. The group that is not willing to go to college or get an education to have a better life will suffer to some degree because of it. Everyone makes there choice in life even if it is following there culture on not following there culture. dolphin 123
ReplyDeleteI agree I also feel that you aren’t automatically placed into a category when you’re born. I feel it takes time for a person to develope because people change as they grow up no matter what environment they were raised in. Rawr_BIL_123
DeleteI agree with this not everyone can be put in a category for life because what if they change one day. we are not born the way we gonna stay for life we can change
DeleteUSA123
I think people have to see evidence and proof of conformity as they are growing up, if you live on the streets, or have a broken family and no one has ever gone to college people will choose to conform to the way of life that they have grown up surrounded by. There is almost always an influential inspiration that changes peoples ways of how they want to live and who they want to become, to better themselves. It takes hard work and dedication to achieve the goals and live by conformity especially if you come from nothing in order to achieve something. A lot of members of society want to make the quick buck and there is no such thing. Hard work and dedication is what it takes to truly achieve goals and become successful. The question is whether people want to take this path or not. I would like to think that everyone has a window of opportunity in their life and everyone has to work for what they want. With every bad choice there is a risk, the risk that you will end up in jail, the risk that everything you have will be taken away in a moments notice. The strain theory are the facts, but the choices we make are what will put us into those categories of conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, or Rebellion. Hbaby31012
ReplyDeleteI am not exactly sure how ritualism is a deviant act. How is going to work because you love it and the money you are making deviant? That does not make any sense to me. More people should actually be like this instead of getting a job just because you make bank doing it. I'm aware that money drives pretty much everything in this world but it should not be the soul purpose of your life. Do something you love that pays well. I just don't agree with ritualism being a deviant behavior. To me that should be alongside conformists. It is not the same thing as conforming but goes along with it. bama123
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment completely. It seems odd that we must be so focused on attaining money in order to avoid being labeled as deviants in this world.
Delete-JrMac95012
I also Agree i think this is to narrow view for a society such as America when we are considered the great melting pot, or salad bowl how ever you learned it. There are many societies in america that can differ from region to region and to say or compare the normal society to one thats just about money and having a job i think is a bit harsh on judgment for most societies that preach love and family or religious devotion. Scraut22
DeleteI do agree with your explanation of why ritualism should not be a deviant fact, although money really is important to live in our society today it really should not shape the reason for why a person chose to go into a certain profession and I do consider ritualism more of a noble cause than a deviant one. Runner123
DeleteI enjoyed Doctor Marshall’s video on Robert Merton’s theory of deviance. I found it interesting that Deviance turned out to be a functional theory. I never realized how much it focused on the functions of society as well as the functions deviance has on a society itself.
ReplyDeleteI also took a liking to how the “Ritualist” group is considered to be a group of deviants. That honestly shocks me, because growing up; I was told money should not be the focus of my future. I was told to just make a difference in the world. Even though it is very common, and applies to law abiding citizens, it is just odd because when you think of ‘deviants’ you think of people who have no regard for the rules or people around them. It almost makes me feel like, I am growing up to be a deviant, where being a deviant is something you want to avoid if you want people looking up to you and not down at you as an individual.
Doctor Marshall's video turned out to be pretty good, overall.
-JrMac95012.
I too was interested to learn that deviance was a functional theory. It was interesting to see how many different effects it can have on society as well as on the people close to it. The ritualist group was a wonderful group as well, interesting to think about, about how when you think deviants you think bad when in all actuality it doesn't always mean that at all. saxophones012
DeleteI agree with you about the ritualists too. I was shocked as well because when I think devient its always negative but some of our greatest role models were devients. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi were both devients but both had great goals and ideas. Overall it changed how I feel about the word devient. Zipping123
DeleteI liked the way she categorized the goals and means. This didn't really help since it was already described perfectly in class. I understood it both times but she went further into who it would be and in class our teacher went further into what the goals and means are. I think you could put every single person into one of these catagories unless you are talking about how a person thinks. Interaction theorists might say we have means and goals we show others but the ones we actually believe in are different. I may accept the means and not the goals but others push me to accept both. Also people with disabilities may accept both but can not do either. Maybe they should have a physical means and goals and a mental means and goals. Also some people may accept both but won't do both because they don't make enough money. Innovators do not always mean drug dealers either it could mean people on disability or welfare. Zipping123
ReplyDeleteI agree with this because its is very true there are many people that don't have the mental capacity to do what we believe is the right thing. also life is full of struggles so weather you believe in both or not when life gets hard you might see another point of view because of the situation you are in at the time. Bearsfootball123
DeleteI thought this video did a good job of putting deviance theory in a better perspective for me but I do not exactly agree with everything she said. I would say that people can be put into multiple categories, but just one. I think the rebellion does make complete sense for being the most criminal but I also think that there can be criminals built from the other categories as well I just do not think it is fair to put people in these categories. Or at least all people. I do although agree with what she said about most people being conformists, which is accepts goals and means. I do think most people want to fit in with society and so they accept the rules, and the ways of society.
ReplyDeletestarburst012
I believe this was a cool look into what is considered deviant. I did not know i would be considered deviant even though have been always compelled to follow most rules give or take a few more when i was young but cant we all say that? I think though this theory gives a very one directional look how ever at a multi-faceted society such as the American society where we are a tapestry of many cutlers and many social characteristics. This theory kinda seems to point more in a fascist view of how can we get every one to play along instead of directly looking into the fact not all society in America only values work and money. Maybe if she would have used a few more examples of what society goals could be and maybe i need to look more into the theory before i cast my judgement and look into if it allows small pockets and or multi society goals for a single society. Scraut22
ReplyDeleteThe video helps a lot by giving examples of who would fit into each category. The ritualism category really does fit the roles of social workers like firefighters, police officers, teachers, and many others that work for the fulfillment of their calling for the betterment of society. Innovation was a positive word for the categorization of people who accept the fact that they need money, but then there comes the means of doing things that society deems as wrong. This is possibly pushed into effect because of the social inequality that is present in our society the lack of education or simply desperation. Retreatism speaks the truth about grown ups still staying in their parents house who play video games all day because the parents give the individual the needs while others independently work for it. Rebellion was categorized as the traits of a terrorist due to their wants of new goals by new means. And Conformists is your everyday person who works for their goal through legal means. These categories help me build an understanding of how each person fits into the category they are meant to be. Although I do consider myself a retreatist, I still do have some traits of conformity because I would like to gain the goal through the work that I know would be beneficial to society in order for me to live a healthy life. Runner123
ReplyDeleteMertens Theory of Deviance is very simplistic and much appreciated. He broke it down where it was understandable and with me once I get the general concept I can understand the complexity of other theories. I never thought there was a theory that generalized our goals and means as such and I am very glad to be learning. I do agree that for each individual person this may not fit or it may be possible to have multiple parts to who they are. I would say I have been all the above through out my life so far and as of right now I am conformative. BeeRose34
ReplyDeleteI like the way that she broke down Merton’s theory by graphing institutionalize means over cultural goals and with the acceptance and rejection boxes. I feel everyone thinks conformity in this society just everyone isn’t able to be conformity because they may not have the education as others to get that perfect job so they have to get their money some other way which puts them into different category such as ritualism, innovation, or retreatism. I also feel that a person can fit not only into one category but they can fit into multiple ones. But overall I thought the video was good if you didn’t know about Merton’s theory you could easily learn about it by watching this. Rawr_BIL_123
ReplyDeleteThe break down she did was very good and it just highlighted what we where taught in class. I feel the same why that people can fit into more than one box and can move around from box to box from what life has thrown at them. And the video was easy to understand with her simple break down of it.USMCgrunt_123
DeleteWe always think the word deviant as a person who is bad for society. I enjoy strain theory because it shows deviance as someone who goes about things different than most people. Whether that be by rejecting the goals or means or keeping one or the other. It makes me think about how people who changed society for the better were deviant. Though people who also changed society for the worst. It makes it seem like deviance is what can make a society change at all. And then that way of thinking and life can become conformity. I had never thought of it like that before but now I'll be looking at different groups of people and seeing how deviant they are so to say or more so what category they fit into.
ReplyDeleteScientistSalarian012
I agree with your post about people that changed society were considered deviants because they weren't going with the flow of society. Famous people in history were never the people wanting to conform to societies outlooks for the world so i agree with your post completely. baseball123
DeleteI agree with the video and that there are categories to put people in. I do not believe that every single person has a category to go in. People are way to diverse and different for that. There are also thing that drive people into categories like money. Like she said money can drive you to go to school for a good job, but it can also drive you to go rob a bank. I like the rebel category too because it's so real in today's society. We are in pointless wars because people don't like how free our country is or because or because we don't like people's customs. RRFBall012
ReplyDeleteI believe this system is only accurate on a very broad scale. I also believe that a lot of the examples she used are far from accurate. Someone who falls under a class for example the innovation class, doesn't mean they would always be a deviant like a drug dealer in fact I believe that the chance is going to most likely lean towards the individual being pretty normal. An individual on a normal basis would fall under more than one category more often than not. This system of classification has quite a bit of actuality to it, although if it was attempted to be used for all of society the results would be very negatively based. But like I previously stated, this system could possibly be useful for society as a whole. I think this theory holds up better when paired up with Hirschi's Social Bond Theory. Whovian123
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is accurate on a very large scale. However, I think that she just gave a few examples and that the examples that she stated were not exhaustive of the people in that certain category. Obviously when as one gets more into detail about their goals and means there is going to be some overlap and grey areas between the groups as well.
DeleteMilly123
I think this scale is somewhat ok but we are all different in many way.this theory did a great job in breaking it down for us to see it in many ways. But this theory is basically telling you that's what your gnna be for the rest of your life. well everybody is just so complex that they can change if you ask me .
ReplyDeleteUSA123
This system is accurate in my opinion. While I was watching this video I could think about different people and different groups of people that would fit into the different spaces. I know for me in high school there where all these different types of people instead of the American dream it was getting an education. From the kids that never showed up to school to the ones that would get straight A’s. People weather they like it or not can all fall into one of these categories. And the conformist is the biggest group of them all. People can move around in society from poor to rich, using different means. Like the man that did everything right for years being a conformist working his butt off then start selling drugs and gets rich. Has moved his place on the chart. Everyone is trying to get the American dream and people will try anything to reach it.USMCgrunt_123
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of this. I do dis agree with the part that if you accept the means and reject the goals than you should not be labeled a deviant because if you go out and do what you think you are called to your job but you don't worry to much about the money you make, that's okay because if you can make a living by doing something that makes you happy everyday you go to it that would be great. Now the rest of this theory i believe is great because if you reject the means of life than you must make money the way you want to and many times that involves breaking the law. Bearsfootball123
ReplyDeleteI agree with this video for the most part. I believe that the conformist group has the most people in it but I also think that there are a lot of people that are not in the conformist group. I think that most people conform to the goal of money and press towards obtaining that goal. I appreciate what the ritualists such as the teachers, firefighters, police officers, etc. do because they are the ones who accept the means but reject the goals meaning that they make less money but do their jobs because they love what they do. We need those people in order for society to function. I believe that the people in each one of these categories contributes to society and makes society what it is. Also, in my opinion there is some overlap in the different categories. People could fall under a couple different categories depending on the situation at hand. People can change from category to category throughout their life. For example, is someone means to the goals is illegal; they can change their ways to legal and become a conformist.
ReplyDeleteMilly123
I think in today's society there are people out there that are considered deviant because they have different morals to different things as someone who is in the conformity group. For example, most states have made same sex marriage legal. But when the governor of each state first expressed how they thought about legalizing same sex marriage, they were looked at by some people as deviant because their thoughts and ideas weren't the same as someone in the conformity category or the innovation category. Most people in life want to be excepted by other people so they more than often conform to society to fit in with everyone or to be liked. An example of that would be the way people dress. A famous hip hop artist may wear his/her clothes a certain way. So people see that and begin to dress that way. And once most people realize that everyone around them dresses that way, people conform and dress that way also to fit in with everyone. I think this video had many good points about the 5 different categories of Merton's Deviance Theory.
ReplyDeletebaseball123
Baseball123, I highly agree with you in this point you make. I also believe that the people of society too often hinder their ways of thinking, which may be way outside of the box, in order to conform to the ways of society. If we can learn to de-stigmatize these "abnormal" thinkers, I believe we can continue to advance our society in an incredibly positive direction. There are too many wonderful thoughts and ideas people have to share for society as a whole to be hindering certain ways of thinking.
DeleteGoCardsGo_123
The point in this video which stood out to me the most was when the narrator was describing the four different elements of Robert Merton's deviance typology. The one element that stood out to me the most out of these four elements was the conformity element. The example she uses is the process of obtaining money people go through while in our society. She states this is the most common form of conformity for most citizens today. I agree with this statement to an extent, however, I also believe that there are many success stories of people who refused to conform in order to become successful. I think society too often stigmatizes people who refuse to conform to the norms of society and immediately labels them as deviant because they are different than everyone else.
ReplyDelete-GoCardsGo_123
While I believe this system can apply to everyone, it should not be interpreted by a strict sense, but by a loose and broad spectrum, to what extent is someone a ritualist, an innovator, a retreatist, or a rebel? Even someone with more rebellious tendancies could be considered a conformists.
DeleteI don't think that this typology necessarily defines who is and is not successful, many conformists in my humble belief are just the opposite, Imagine someone with the goal of money and means, but unknownly to that person they will never achieve their goal, example could be someone making a career out of something that may not produce much results.
-HappyWalrus123
I think that just about anyone could be placed into one of the four categories.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand that the "ritualist" is considered deviant because they don't have the importance of money like the rest of society, Every person may deviate slightly from the above typology, some Extreme Rebels, I have observed seem to exibit traits similar to ritualists and innovators but the main foundation of these categories will consistently define anyone.
The retreatist lacking the goals and not caring for the means but still fine with living within the frame work of society ( provided their needs are met) appears to be the most volatile of the types. What does someone with no goals, no means, yet do not have their needs supplemented by an alternative ? ( I.E. parents taking care of you forever) Does the Retreatist place greater risk of becoming an extreme rebel or an innovator? If internalizing the means are not there, the ball could swing either way it seems.
Out of the innovator, ritualist, retreatist, and the rebel. The one that stands out the most is...for the purpose of Juvenile Delinquency would be the innovator. The goals are there, but the means those goals are achieved are not on par with how society would expect such an individual to reach those goals.... petty theft, larceny, or even a pro who goes after the big $ items.
Rebels may be the most dangerous, but I don't necessarily think they are the one's of greatest concern.... yes terrorism is a credible threat, but you have a greater chance of being mugged or robbed by someone for money (Innovator) than you do getting attacked by ISIS or Al Quaida, or some eccentric Idaho militia.
-HappyWalrus123