Question

Robert Merton's typology of deviance outlines the strain that people experience as they attempt to access cultural goals through legitimate, institutionalized means. In which of the following categories would gangsters and con artists be found?

a.conformity
b.innovation
c.ritualism
d.retreatism

Answer 1

Gangsters and con artists fit within Robert Merton's 'innovation' category of deviance as they pursue cultural goals through illegitimate means.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Robert Merton's typology of deviance, gangsters and con artists would be categorized under innovation. These individuals accept the cultural goals of society but reject the institutionalized, legitimate means to achieve them, opting instead for criminal or deviant methods. Merton's strain theory suggests that these individuals innovate new, often illicit, paths to obtain what society considers markers of success, typically wealth or power, which they cannot achieve through conventional means due to various social and economic barriers.