Two honored sociologists who have contributed
to the general understanding of deviant behavior have been Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
and Robert Merton (1910-2003). The last
posting of this blog, which has been presenting a series of postings regarding
the development of deviant proclivities in American culture, introduced the
work of Durkheim and Merton. That
posting indicated this one would share a model these writers, from different
time periods, collectively present regarding deviance.
To
begin, Durkheim noted that suicide rose in times of prosperity. Baffled, he began to theorize that in modern times
people are subject to egoistic suicides, that is, suicides that are motivated
by the inability to deal with fast paced societies and their unrealistic goals. In general, modern society promotes lofty
goals while designating norms regarding acceptable behavior as it addresses
those goals.
Further, people are socialized to accept these
goals.
American culture is characterized by great
emphasis on the accumulation of wealth as a success symbol without a
corresponding emphasis on using legitimate means to march toward this goal …
[D]eviant behavior among certain classes in American society cannot be
explained by a lack of opportunity alone or by an exaggerated emphasis on a
pecuniary value nexus … It is the set of equalitarian beliefs in American
society, stressing the opportunity for economic affluence and social ascent for
all of its members, which makes for the difference.[1]
If true, certain recent developments can’t help
adding to deviant levels. That is, one
can add to this mix of sentiments that a certain condition promotes. That is, a significant portion of the
population has had its economic foundations pulled out from under it, such as
the exportation of a significant number of manufacturing jobs during the recent
past.
This results in the chasm between aspirations
and reality and consequently, one can expect levels of deviance to increase. They can even be justified by disrupters as
means to attain the goals Durkheim identifies.
It is the opinion of this blogger that much of the polarized state of
American politics one observes today can be attributed to this development.
And
Merton outlines forms of behavior patterns that such disruptive conditions
encourage, but common to these deviant adaptive patterns is the feeling of
anomie. Anomie can be defined as a
pervading sense: a fatalistic lack of
cohesion with society. This sense can
permeate among certain groups within the nation. Merton believed that lower income groups were
naturally more predisposed to anomie.[2]
Given
the historical progression this series has outlined in earlier postings – the
progression from transcendentalism, pragmatism, and perceptual psychology – the
progression has glorified individualism and self-centeredness. Plus, sociological/economic developments –
increasing divorce rates, globalization of the economy, exportation of
manufacturing jobs – anomie has become prevalent among larger segments of the
population.[3]
This
state of conditions naturally affects schools.
The teacher corps and other school professionals around the country should
be concerned with augmenting social norms which encourage non deviant behavior,
and at the same time try to impart the necessary skills that empower
individuals in attaining their social and economic goals. But beyond that, those very goals need to be questioned. While this blogger denotes a tinge of elitism
in the Merton model, the reality is that pecuniary rewards are inordinately
emphasized in this nation’s society.
As
pointed out earlier in this series, American society lacks a substantive
cultural philosophy. What philosophy it
has is made up of vague notions of the “American dream” and individual rights. Institutions such as American education have
promoted individualism. One finds
oneself hearing only a limited social message in this vacuum, from Madison
Avenue or disinformation being constantly emitted through social media.[4]
As for advertising, the message is simple and
direct: buy things and services. As for social media: “you are getting screwed and you need to
support X.” Either way, social worth is most
exclusively tied to the ability to attain the things advertised or be
associated with those who are sharing a delegitimate status while joining
together to save the day.
With more and more misalignment – i.e., social
ties lacking meaningful commitments – or the availability of meaningful
employment especially among low educated people, the social conditions leading
to anomie are readily observable. Add to
this the communication facility that social media affords, and the mix is quite
disruptive and deviant.
With that staging, social studies curriculum
development has a “full plate” of challenges to address. That will be the topic of the next posting as
this blog continues this series of postings addressing deviance in the American
culture. And just to give this notion of
a curricular response legitimacy, one should keep the meanings of anomie –
lacking social and ethical standards – and nihilism – rejecting moral
principles due to seeing life as meaningless – in mind.
[1] Marshall B. Clinard, “The Theoretical Implications of
Anomie and Deviant Behavior,” in Anomie and Deviant Behavior, edited by
Marshall B. Clinard (New York, NY: The
Free Press, 1964), 1-56, 14-15.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Given inherit challenges with measuring anomie among
a population, the literature is not “one-sided” as to the levels and consequences
of anomie to American society. See for
example, Jean Paul Azzopardi, “America’s Overdose of Anomie,” Medium,
January 10, 2017, accessed March 4, 2024, URL:
https://medium.com/@jp_azzopardi/americas-overdose-of-anomie-1c0049844774#:~:text=They%20believe%20that%20American%20society,actively%20resist%20any%20institutional%20controls.
[4] In terms of the latter, see Barbara McQuade, Attack
from Within: How Disinformation Is
Sabotaging America (New York, NY: Seven
Stories Press, 2024).
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