Question

According to Robert K. Merton, people experience tension when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals. Which theory describes this idea?

a. Strain theory
b. Control theory
c. Opportunity theory
d. Differential association
theory

Answer 1

The theory that describes this idea is A. Strain theory.

Step-by-step explanation:

In sociology, strain theory states that society puts pressure on individuals to achieve certain socially accepted goals, regardless of their possible lack of means to actually achieve them. This phenomena may result in a deviant behavior because of the disconnection between common goals and the availability of the means for meeting them, such as crime and delinquency.

Strain theory was first advanced by Robert K. Merton, an American sociologist who became especially influential in the 1950s.