How does the functionalist approach explain Deviance?
Emile Durkheim suggested that deviance is necessary and beneficial for the stability of society. Deviance is functional because it provides for social change, affirms cultural values, reinforces beliefs, and promotes unity. It is dysfunctional because it threatens order, causes confusion about right and wrong, undermines trust, and uses lots of resources. Sociologist Robert Merton suggested that deviance arises from the relationship of the social structure to societies goals and approved means for attaining those goals. People who accept the conventional goals (such as attaining wealth) and purse them using socially approved means (such as working hard and being honest) are conformist. Deviant approaches include innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Sometimes the very structure of society creates a strain which encourages deviance. Additional commentary on Merton’s Strain Theory is provided in the textbook. THINKING QUESTIONS • What are some weaknesses of the functionalist
