Deck 7: Social Structure and Anomie

Question 1

Which choice reflects the typology of individualized adaptations set forth by Merton?

A) Conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion
B) Conformity, deviance, delinquency, retreatism, and rebellion
C) Conformity, creativity, aggression, retreatism and rebellion
D) Conformity, deviance, delinquency, creativity, and rebellion

Answer 1

Conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion

Question 2

When individuals use illegitimate means for achieving the cultural goal of being successful, like winning whatever it takes, this is defined by Merton as

A) conformity.
B) rebellion.
C) innovation.
D) retreatism.

Answer 2

innovation.

Question 3

The collectively shared and promoted American dream of material success is used by Merton to illustrate

A) anomie.
B) cultural goals.
C) institutional means.
D) innovation.

Answer 3

cultural goals.

Question 4

According to Merton, anomie and demoralization occurs when

A) people feel that they need more money than they have.
B) people feel that the American dream is unattainable.
C) people no longer share the same sense of cultural goals.
D) people can no longer support institutional norms for attaining cultural goals.

Question 5

Conformity includes all of the following except

A) pursuit of collective ends is permitted via institutional norms, for example, getting a good education leads to a good job.
B) there is widespread agreement about cultural goals and institutional norms.
C) institutional norms are more highly valued than are cultural goals.
D) everyone values fair play (the means) along with winning the game (the goal.)

Question 6

Using Merton's typology, a member of an organization who placed greater emphasis upon complying with bureaucratic procedures than on whether the underlying purpose was achieved would be an example of

A) conformity.
B) innovation.
C) ritualism.
D) bureaucracy.

Question 7

Using one example from Merton's typology, how could the relation between cultural goals and institutionalized means within a society exert pressures on individuals to adapt in ways that are nonconformist?

Question 8

How does the misalignment or disconnection of cultural goals with institutional means contribute to what Merton calls a strain towards anomie and deviant behavior? Use examples from American society in your response.

Question 9

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s challenged the status quo of racism, legal segregation and discrimination, through civil disobedience and other non-violent protest. Using Merton's typology as an explanatory framework, discuss whether this movement reflected one or more modes of individual and group adaptation: conformity, innovation, rebellion or a combination?