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Introduction
There are many approaches to defining deviant behavior and singling out its root causes. Some scholars argue that people’s biological features are at the core of aberrant conduct, whereas others consider the social impact to play a critical role. Based on these differing ideas, researchers defend their positions on why people break the law in various situations. The present paper aims at supporting a social deviance position and analyzing one of the core topics related to deviance. Specifically, Merton’s (1938) argument of deviance will be defended, and the theme of drug abuse will be discussed.
The Social Deviance Position
The position taken is the agreement with Merton’s statement about the causes of deviance in society. Particularly, Merton (1938) argues that deviance occurs when the abilities of society’s members to achieve socially acceptable goals are not equal. According to Merton (1938), two elements are constituting the social and cultural structure: cultural goals and institutional norms. The first element makes up the frame of aspirational reference composed of interests and aims in the cultural dimension that presuppose different levels of sentiment and prestige (Merton, 1938). The second element is responsible for controlling and regulating the acceptable modes of gaining the purposes from the first one.
The rationale behind agreeing with the argument is that the scholar offered a viable typology of deviance, which explains that individuals can become criminals if they cannot achieve the socially accepted values by legal means. This position can be related to drug abuse in the following way. People buying drugs have rejected the culturally acceptable norm of leading a healthy lifestyle. However, at the same time, they share the cultural value of receiving pleasure or pain relief (depending on what their purpose in using drugs is). Hence, according to Merton’s (1938) theory, deviant behavior can be manifested by following one norm but rejecting the other one in an attempt to gain the first.
The social deviance definition emerging from the selected position involves the compensation of institutionalized behavior by socialized rewards. Merton (1938) argues that it is necessary to arrange the distribution of roles in society in such a way that each position within the distributive structure should have an equal number of positive incentives and status obligations. Thus, deviant behavior may be considered as a sign of dissociation between the aspirations defined by cultural norms and the means expected by the social system. The disproportionate emphasis on objectives is the primary concern of the selected deviance position.
Examples Supporting the Position
Merton’s major goal is to emphasize the disruption of the social structure and prove that it can affect deviance (“Social disorganization,” 2020). The scholar distinguishes between five types of adjustment and adaptation: conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, and rebellion. According to Merton, social structure is a social deviance theory due to its potential to indicate the divergence between social stability and behavioral limitations (“Social disorganization,” 2020). Depending on a person’s social activity, one can change the activity’s type (Merton, 1938). Specific emphasis in Merton’s (1938) theory is given to the problem of wealth accumulation as an indicator of success in American society. Hence, basically, people demonstrating deviant behavior know the institutional regulations, but they cannot always secure emotional support to follow these rules.
The most prominent example in support of Merton’s argument in relation to drug abuse is that cultural and social circumstances play a crucial role in defining people’s desire to engage in drug use. As Eckersley (2005) remarks, cultural expectations of a person, such as an ethnicity, social status, or race, can affect the way people are accepted in society. Frequently, when an individual notice that he or she is not welcome in the social group they would like to belong to, they resort to any means possible to make others find them acceptable. Culture formulates the main assumptions of the people’s way of living (Eckersley, 2005). Furthermore, Eckersley (2005) points out that some aspects of modern Western culture and society constitute a crucial social impact on people’s drug abuse choices, which is currently underestimated. Therefore, in an attempt to meet the norm necessary for joining the society, one can practice deviant behavior.
Another example of drug abuse being a social deviance problem is also related to peer pressure and the need to accommodate. As Schulden et al. (2009) report, drug abuse is a phenomenon most frequently occurring in young people. There is a growing recognition of the drug abuse problem among American teenagers. This population group is vulnerable to various social factors, acceptance being the most important of them. Hence, to gain the goal of being an equal member of some social group, a young person may engage in anomie. Schulden et al. (2009) also note the significance of viewing the problem not only at a macro level but also at a micro-level. Specifically, there are some youth groups that suffer from greater negative impacts, such as Hispanics and Blacks. These young people tend to overuse marijuana rather than other types of drugs (Schulden et al., 2009). However, no matter what substance is being misused, the problem remains, and its connection to social life’s regulations cannot be denied.
Media sources share the opinions expressed in research studies concerning drug abuse as a social problem. O’Leary (2019) singles out five socio-cultural factors that are likely to cultivate addiction. These factors can be analyzed from the point of view of Merton’s (1938) theory. Firstly, the bonding experience, which can be gained by drug use, is viewed by O’Leary (2019) as a crucial social factor promoting addiction. Here, one can trace the connection with Merton’s (1938) theory in that to gain a socially positive outcome (become a part of a group), young people engage in deviant behavior (abuse drugs). Another factor is the relief from stress, which one can get with the help of drugs (O’Leary, 2019). Here, the positive norm followed by an individual is the desire to feel well and function properly. On the other side, this goal is gained by means of rejecting the norm of the legal use of drugs.
The next example is similar to the one discussed by Schulden et al. (2009). O’Leary (2019) remarks that the desire to feel the sense of community can push people to anomie. Thus, the person endeavors to follow the norm of conforming to a social group, but to do so, he or she defies the need to consume only legal substances. Further, the allure of rebelling can also ignite people’s desire to abuse drugs (O’Leary, 2019). In this case, the desired positive norm is to express one’s freedom and exercise one’s rights. Meanwhile, the need to follow the rules of social behavior (avoiding drugs and not threatening anyone by one’s conduct) is rejected.
Finally, O’Leary (2019) also draws attention to such a socio-cultural factor as lifestyle appeal. According to the author, some people may consider the lifestyle of a drug abuser as glamorous and highly attractive. In a situation like this, a person strives to obtain better living conditions, which is a normal intention (Merton, 1938). What is abnormal, though, is that to gain the desired lifestyle, people become addicts. What is more, drug abuse is frequently associated with criminal behavior (“Why drug addiction is a social problem,” n.d.; Zembroski, 2011). Therefore, the outcomes of drug abuse can be manifested not only in social and cultural spheres but also in a legal one.
Reasons for Disagreeing with the Other Position
The selected position contradicts the view expressed by Durkheim, who argues that the existence of social solidarity should prevent people from anomie (“Social disorganization,” 2020). Durkheim’s approach states that people are not likely to break the rules if they share the same views (Adrian, 2003). It is impossible to agree with such an argument since even if all society members know what is right, it does not mean they will never do wrong. For example, if a young student knows that abusing drugs is illegal, he will still do it if the group of his peers persistently lure him into trying.
Conclusion
Merton’s (1938) argument of deviance states that a person tends to break the rules when he or she does not have an opportunity to gain some socially acceptable goal legally. This argument seems fair in various socio-cultural situations, but it especially concerns the problem of drug abuse. There are many reasons why people might start abusing drugs, but most of them are related to the need for being accepted and recognized. It is not possible to agree with Durkheim’s position since numerous examples indicate that even if all members of society know the rules, they will not break them.
References
Adrian, M. (2003). How can sociological theory help our understanding of addictions? Substance Use & Misuse, 38(10), 1385–1423. Web.
Eckersley, R. (2005). “Cultural fraud”: The role of culture in drug abuse. Drug and Alcohol Review, 24(2), 157–163. Web.
Merton, R. K. (1938). Social structure and anomie. American Sociological Review, 3(5), 672–682. Web.
O’Leary, D. (2019). 5 socio-cultural factors that cultivate addiction. National Rehabs Directory. Web.
Schulden, J. D., Thomas, Y. F., & Compton, W. M. (2009). Substance abuse in the United States: Findings from recent epidemiologic studies. Current Psychiatry Reports, 11(5), 353–359. Web.
Social disorganization. (2020). [Lecture notes].
Why drug addiction is a social problem. (n.d.). Web.
Zembroski, D. (2011). Sociological theories of crime and delinquency. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 21(3), 240–254. Web.
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