For Anomie

1
For Anomie

• Is there a class bias in this theory? Or, how
  can Anomie explain deviance by the wealthy?
• If theres an imbalance between norms, how can
  policy try to restore/create balance?

2
Durkheims Anomie

• Moral and social constraints exist on persons
  drives moral discipline
• If these constraints lose their power, then
  people end up unhappy, or out of control.
• Because access to achievement is not equal, some
  will not follow prescribed paths of behavior to
  achieve goals.
• Or they get hopeless and commit suicide.
• Social upheaval causes disequilibrium and hence
  leads to an increase in deviance.
• Over time, some luxuries become necessities.

3
Mertons Anomie I.

• Social structure exerts pressure to non-conform
  (p.142), because given the situation, a normal
  person would deviate.
• Goals are exalted, even if they are generally
  unreachable.
• Money has been consecrated as value in itself
• Mertons myths
• Anyone can succeed
• Lower class therefore deserves it
• Only those who act like the dominant class have
  full membership.

4
Mertons Anomie II.

• Types of Deviance
• Conformity Being just like you were told.
• Innovation Thieves and cheats.
• Ritualism Scaling down. Ascetics, fatalists,
  blamers. (Or just practical??)
• Retreatism Drug addicts, alcoholics, bums,
  hoboes.
• Rebellion. Genuine transvaluation. Rejects old
  status quo and seeks to bring about new one

5
Cloward

• Thesis
• Theres also differential access to illegitimate
  means
• The patterns of access and barriers follows that
  of legitimate means
• Begins by summarizing Durkheim
• People need to fulfill their social needs
• Moral constraints keep them on the straight
  narrow (a foreshadowing of control theory)
• In times of rapid social change, values shift,
  become unattainable, leading to anomie, control
  institutions lose power, allowed unbridled greed
  to cause deviance (rebellion or crime), or
  despair to ensue (suicide).
• Then summarizes Merton
• Goals and norms may vary independently, When
  norms cant lead to goals, goals gain in
  importance, and because social structure closes
  off access, deviance results.

6
Cloward continued

• So Durkheim explains how the ends justifies the
  means through social change.
• Merton adds that social structure attenuates
  access to normative paths toward goals.
• So then Cloward asks, But what about access to
  illegitimate means, is that universally
  accessible?
• Applies it to forms of deviance
• Innovation (crime)
• Retreatism (failure at failing)
• Rebellion???
• Ritualism??
• And the answer isno, its not.
• It has to be part of the cultural script
• Theres a meritocracy to ityou have to have the
  skills.
• Need to be in the social network.
• Social class structures opportunities
• Its subject to discrimination in hiring
  practices
• Ethnicity, race, gender, social class

7
Very Brief Summary

• Functionalism. Deviance is so common, its
  normal. Serves a purpose. Whose purpose, thats
  the question, though.
• Social disorganization I live in a neighborhood
  where we dont know how to behave yet.
• Differential Association Who you know,
  therefore how you learn. Need to rationalize.
• Anomie. The means is necessary to achieve the
  societys exalted ends. Also need to
  rationalize.