Robert Merton Developed Structural Strain Theory to Explain Why Deviance

question 65

Multiple Choice

Robert Merton developed structural strain theory to explain why deviance happens. What sort of strain does the theory's name refer to?

• A) strain between criminals and law enforcement
• B) strain between deviant and nondeviant citizens
• C) strain between social norms that are codified in laws and those that are not
• D) strain between different value systems within a society
• E) strain between socially approved goals and the means an individual has for realizing them

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Definitions:

Illusory Correlations

The perception of a relationship between two variables when none actually exists.

Memory Biases

The tendency for memory to be distorted by previous experiences, desires, or the current emotional state.

Representativeness Heuristic

A belief that outcomes will always reflect characteristics of the process that generated them (e.g., an expectation that the outcome of a series of coin flips will always look random).

Coin Flips

A random process used to generate two equally likely outcomes, typically representing "heads" or "tails."