The functionalist theory of deviance: What are its strengths and weaknesses?
By A. Swaby-Burton, Contributor
SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND DEVIANCE
FUNCTIONALISTS REGARD crime, suicide and other forms of deviance as social facts. This
leads them to reject explanations that appeal to the psychological or biological characteristics of
individuals and propose instead that "society" is the cause of deviance. For example Emile
Durkheim saw the key factor as the degree of social integration. He also argued that the
emergence of complex societies based on organic solidarity led to societies becoming less
effective at regulating human desires. This basically led Durkheim to suggest in his theory of
anomie that the personality of the individual was in danger of becoming disassociated from the
needs of society. In other words social order in modern society was threatened by the decline in
the power of society to regulate the aspiration of its members.
The ideas of Durkheim were developed by Robert Merton, who laid the foundations of the
modern functionalist theory of deviance in his article 'Social Structure and Anomie'.
Merton refined Durkheim's theory of anomie by describing the mal-integration of individual and
society as a means and relationship. In a perfectly integrated society common ends or goal of
social action are accepted by all members of society and the means to achieve these goals are
available to the entire population. However, in the US Merton argued that there is undue
emphasis on the ends of action at the expense of making the means of success universally
available.
SUCCESS PURELY MONETARY?
For Merton, success in life in the United States is overwhelmingly defined in monetary terms.
This is not just for the US alone but likewise here in Jamaica. Most persons strive to own a
beautiful home and drive a nice car. The result is that the desire to make money, and to impress
others with a lifestyle built around conspicuous consumption, becomes the overriding goal of
most individuals (American, West Indians etc). The institutional qualifications and career
mobility. However, in a highly unequal society where life chances are not distributed evenly
certain groups find that legitimate opportunities for advancement are denied them. This as
Merton states creates psychological strain amongst the members of these groups and this is
accentuated by the fact that society fosters the myths the country (whether it be Jamaica, the
United States, England) is a land of opportunity and the relative poverty is caused by individual
moral failings.
INEQUALITY AND DEVIANCE
Deviance, according to Merton, can be explained as a response to the pressures generated by this
discrepancy between culturally approved goals and institutionally available means. Merton also
recognises the importance of inequality, conflict and ideology to the sociology of deviance. He
also adopted a critical perspective of the US society at the time and recognised its dysfunctional
aspects. Furthermore, although Merton ignores the cultural transmission of deviant adaptations
his theory can be linked with the concept of subculture. This would help to explain how social
groups that share a similar position in the social structure collectively evolve solutions to
common problems.
The most influential development of Merton's ideas along these lines is Richard Cloward and
Lloyd Ohlin's book Delinquency and Opportunity. Their point is that individuals are not merely
socialised into the norms and values of the wider society, they also learn deviant behaviour in
basically the same way. THus Cloward and Ohlin were led to extend Merton's theory and relate
deviance not just to the legitimate opportunity structure but also to the illegitimate opportunity
structure as well. So they accepted that there is a greater pressure on ethnic minorities and the
disadvantaged classes to deviate from the norms of society because they have less opportunity to
succeed by other means. However, to go on to emphasise that the availability of illegitimate
means depends upon the learning environment in which young people can acquire criminal
skills. Where this occurs subcultures evolve based on professional crime. However, in other
areas where both legitimate and illegitimate opportunities are unavailable delinquent gangs turn
to violence or evolve into retreated subcultures.