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.