Question

Using merton's concepts of 'manifest' and latent' functions, explain the persistence of corruption in indian society

Answer 1

Merton proposed theory on deviation. This theory on deviation is based on the differences in cultural goals that needs to be reached and the institutional means available for attaining cultural goals.

Merton proposed a typology of deviant behaviour based on Person's motivations or adherence to goals and his/her belief in how to attain those goals. He also proposes that social structurees may strain an individual to committ to certain means and goals. Strain may be structural or individual.

Merton proposes five types of deviance

1. Confirmity -- This deviance accepts both institutional means and cultural goals. Here a person follows traffic rules and believes goals could be achieved even by following it.

2. Innovation -- Here a person deviates from the legal/ institutional means to achieve his goal. Eg. Person getting off the bike and pushing it along the pedestrians.

3. Ritualism -- Here a person inspite of getting delayed, where by he would not be able to reach his goal, is bound by institutional means and abides traffic rules.

4. Retreatism -- Sometimes due to heavy traffic a person would get demoaralised and gets pessimistic about goals, and also seeing others not following institutional means would be motivated to deviate form the institutional beahviour, which in this case is jumping the signal.

5. Rebellion -- There can also be a stage where a person would go for new goals and new means due to severe constraints in the existing means, when he believes that it would be almost impossible to achieve goals from the available means. Here a person might change his plans of going out dut to heavy traffic and sit at home watching TV.

Merton theory of Deviance shows that its both the individual motive and the instisutional constraints that determine the deviant behaviour.