Question

How does Merton’s five-part typology of deviance fit within an ideal societ and how can the theory explain stigmas?

Answer 1

Deviance is necessary for making a society stable. It helps in recognizing and then punishing the deviant behavior . It also helps creating boundaries between varios group and develops we feeling among members of one group .

Moreover , deviance is necessary for understanding the disruption and recalibration of society that occurs over time. Some traits that could cause social disruption will be stigmatized. But such traits , over a period of time ,if becomes mainstream , then stigma will be removed gradually and it will become part of society .

Merton has classified deviance into 5 part based upon two criteria

a)person’s motivations to confirm to t cultural goals

b) person’s belief in how to attain such goal. According to Merton, 5 parts of deviance are

Conformity involve the acceptance of the cultural goals and means of attaining those goals.

Innovation involves the acceptance of the goals of a culture but the rejection of the traditional means of attaining those goals.

Ritualism involves the rejection of cultural goals but the routinized acceptance of the means for achieving the goals.

Reatreatism involve the rejection of both the cultural goals and the traditional means of achieving those goals.

Rebellion, a special case wherein the individual rejects both the cultural goals and traditional means of achieving them and also actively attempts to replace element of the society with different goals and means.

Stigmas are explained in terma of deviant traits. eg LGBT right was an stigma but still some people adhered to it and at the same time they were active member of society adhering to all other norms . Gradually that stigma may become part of mainstream as evident in some country legalising LGBT rights .