Final answer:
Robert Merton's theory categorizes people into five types based on their response to societal goals and means: conformist (non-deviant), innovator, ritualist, retreatist, and rebel (all considered deviant). The deviant types pursue societal goals through illegitimate means, abandon the goals, reject both goals and means, or aim to replace them.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theory proposed by sociologist Robert Merton discusses the ways individuals in society adapt to the cultural goals and the institutionalized means available to achieve them. According to Merton, the majority of people in society are conformists; they accept both the goals and the means of society. However, there are four other types of adaptations that can be seen as deviant to varying degrees:
- Innovators: Individuals who accept societal goals but use illegitimate or deviant means to achieve them.
- Ritualists: People who adhere to the socially accepted means but have given up on the societal goals.
- Retreatists: Those who reject both the goals and means of society, often withdrawing entirely.
- Rebels: People who reject both current societal goals and means and work to replace them with their own.
Out of these types, only the conformist is not considered deviant by Merton's definition because they strive to achieve societal goals through socially approved means. Deviance in this context is connected to the strain theory, which suggests that social structures within society may pressure citizens to commit deviant acts. Merton's typology helps in understanding the different ways people may engage with or separate themselves from societal expectations.