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

2 Durkheim’s Anomie  Moral and social constraints exist on person’s 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 Merton’s 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”  Merton’s myths:  Anyone can succeed  Lower class therefore deserves it  Only those who act like the dominant class have full membership.

4 Merton’s Anomie II. Types of Deviance I.Conformity: Being just like you were told. II.Innovation: Thieves and cheats. III.Ritualism: Scaling down. Ascetics, fatalists, blamers. (Or just practical??) IV.Retreatism: Drug addicts, alcoholics, bums, hoboes. V.Rebellion. Genuine ‘transvaluation’. Rejects old status quo and seeks to bring about new one

5 Cloward  Thesis: –There’s 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 can’t 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 is…no, it’s not. –It has to be part of the cultural script –There’s a meritocracy to it…you have to have the skills. –Need to be in the social network. –Social class structures opportunities –It’s subject to discrimination in ‘hiring’ practices Ethnicity, race, gender, social class

7 Very Brief Summary  Functionalism. Deviance is so common, it’s normal. Serves a purpose. Whose purpose, that’s the question, though.  Social disorganization: I live in a neighborhood where we don’t 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 society’s exalted ends. Also need to rationalize.