AQA GCSE Sociology · 8192
Paper 1, Paper 2
In Merton’s explanation, a weakening of the rules governing behaviour when the pursuit of success becomes more important than using socially approved means.
Revise: Social Construction of Crime and DevianceIf success matters above everything else, rules can lose their influence: people may pursue wealth by almost any means. This weakening of rules is anomie.
- Revise: Crime and deviance key terms
A condition of normlessness in which the norms that normally regulate behaviour break down or are no longer followed.