Sex Workers as Innovators in Robert Merton’s Deviance/Strain Theory

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/2313560

 

This clip from American Underworld: Sex Trade illustrates Robert Merton’s theory of deviance/strain theory. Merton’s strain theory can be used to explain deviant behavior. He defines deviance as the modes of social actions that do not conform to the cultural norms or values in a social group or society. The dysfunction between cultural goals and the acceptable social or institutional norms to attain them can unintentionally result in deviant behavior. There are two aspects of social and cultural structures that Merton’s deviance/strain theory focuses on. The first is the culturally defined goals, purposes, and interests that are legitimate for all members of society. The second aspect is the acceptable modes of reaching these goals, how you reach the culturally defined goals is limited by institutionalized norms.

Merton’s Deviance Typology explains five types of individual adaptation in conforming, or not conforming, to these culturally defined goals and the acceptable means of reaching these goals. The first is conformity, which is accepting the culture goals and the institutionalized means of reaching the goals. Ritualism is not accepting or scaling down the culturally accepted goals but continuing to abide by institutional norms. Retreatism is accepting neither the goals nor the institutionalized means of society, some examples of this are psychotics, drug addicts and outcasts. Rebellion is the adaptation which calls for a new greatly modified social structure, they wish to change both the culture goals and the institutionalized means. Innovation is the embrace of the culturally accepted goals but the adaptation using deviant means to attain these goals. The combination of the heavy emphasis on the cultural goals of society along with the fact of few opportunities for social mobility leads to the prevalence of this type of adaptation.

The woman interviewed in the clip is an example of an Innovator. She has accepted the cultural goals of our society, the pursuit of wealth and material luxuries. When asked why she does sex work she explains that she is addicted to money. The means she uses to achieve these goals are considered deviant in our society, making her an Innovator in Merton’s Deviance Typology. Sex work is illegal and considered dangerous in our society but when the stress on a certain set of goals is very high, people are willing to partake in deviant acts to achieve these goals. When asked why she got into sex work in the first place she explains that she had no family and she did what she had to do to survive and make money. The limited means for social opportunity/mobility lead her into Sex Work. Being a high class Call Girl and her own boss, she makes 2,000$ an hour and 10,000$ a day for her services. It can be concluded that she is an example of a true Innovator in Merton’s Typology who achieved the culture goal of material wealth in our society through means considered deviant.

Manifest and Latent Functions in Adventure Time

View clip from 5:25-7:00

Manifest and Latent functions are social scientific concepts first discussed by Robert K. Merton. Manifest functions are consequences that people observe and expect. Merton used the Native American tradition of a rain dance as an example. The manifest function of a rain dance is to produce rain which is the intended consequence of everyone involved in the dance. Latent functions are unintended consequences or functions that people don’t expect. Latent functions can be either negative or positive depending on the manifest function. In Merton’s example of the rain dance, the latent function is the increasing of group identity by performing such a sacred tradition. Manifest and latent functions are very common in our society.

In the above clip from Adventure Time, Finn suffers the repercussions of latent functions. In this example Finn is posed with a problem. Finn needs to make the mountain happy by getting the marauders to stop roughhousing but at the same time keeping the marauders happy. Finn comes up with the solution of “petting”. The manifest function of “petting” is to replace roughhousing as a fun activity for the marauders while keeping the mountain happy by the mountain not having to watch the roughhousing. This solution works for a while until the “petting” has unintended consequences. The latent function of the petting solution is that while it worked for a while, the marauder liked petting each other so much that they petted themselves raw and which caused health concerns for the marauders.