Q: With suitable examples, explain how conformity and deviance coexist in a society as propounded by R.K. Merton.

Model Answer:

Strain Theory – Conformity and Deviance

R.K. Merton, a prominent American sociologist, proposed that conformity and deviance coexist in society through his theory of social structure and anomie. Merton argued that society sets out cultural goals and institutionalized means for achieving those goals. Conformity occurs when individuals accept and pursue these goals through socially approved means. However, when there is a disconnect between the cultural goals and the legitimate means available to achieve them, it can lead to deviance.

Merton identified five types of individual adaptation to this strain between cultural goals and institutionalized means:

1. Conformity: Individuals accept both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means to achieve them. For example, a person who values financial success and works hard at their job to earn a good income is conforming to societal norms.

2. Innovation: Individuals accept the cultural goals but reject the institutionalized means, instead finding alternative (often deviant) ways to achieve success. A drug dealer who seeks wealth but pursues it through illegal means is an example of innovation.

3. Ritualism: Individuals reject or lower their cultural goals but still adhere to the institutionalized means. A bureaucrat who follows rules and procedures without concern for the outcomes represents ritualism.

4. Retreatism: Individuals reject both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means, often withdrawing from society. A homeless person who has given up on achieving societal goals and does not participate in conventional social institutions exemplifies retreatism.

5. Rebellion: Individuals reject both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means, instead seeking to replace them with alternative goals and means. Revolutionary groups that aim to overthrow the existing social order and establish a new system demonstrate rebellion.

Implications of Merton’s Theory

Merton’s theory suggests that deviance is a product of the social structure itself, rather than simply a result of individual pathology. When society places a strong emphasis on cultural goals (such as material success) but limits access to legitimate means for achieving those goals, it creates conditions conducive to deviance.

For example, in a society that values wealth but has high levels of poverty and limited opportunities for upward mobility, some individuals may resort to crimes like theft or drug dealing to achieve financial success. At the same time, others in the same society may conform to societal norms, working low-paying jobs and struggling to make ends meet.

Merton’s theory highlights the complex interplay between conformity and deviance in society, showing how both can coexist as a result of the social structure and the strain between cultural goals and institutionalized means. His work has been influential in understanding crime, social inequality, and the ways in which societies can produce both conformity and deviance.