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Sociologist Robert Merton's Strain Theory

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Sociologist Robert Merton's Strain Theory
Strain theory was introduced by sociologist Robert Merton, he thought that some societies may be set up to encourage deviance from societal norms. Merton thought when cultural goals placed too much pressure on the person to conform. The individual would be forced to work inside the structure that society has created or instead turn to become a follower of a deviant subculture to achieve their goals. The main concern was that certain societies were not providing the resources to achieve these societal goals fairly to the social classes, making deviant paths an even more appealing option. “Wanting success but being cut off from the approved means to reach it leads to the strain (Henslin 156)”. The strain theory believes there are five responses
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