Robert Merton was born Meyer Schkolnick on July 5, 1910 in Philadelphia, Pa. He changed his name when he won a scholarship to the local Temple University, honoring, in the process, both an Oxford and a Cambridge college. He was the son of immigrant parents from Eastern Europe who had settled in a rundown district of Philadelphia. He lived in an apartment above his father's milk, butter and egg store until the building burned down. In a lecture in 1994, he recalled how "that seemingly deprived south Philadelphia slum" provided him with a good start in life. He had friendships in a youth gang, and access to culture in the local libraries, schools and orchestras, "every sort of capital" except money. This problem he met by performing conjuring tricks at parties, calling himself Robert Merlin after King Arthur's magician. .
Mr. Merton was a tall man, 6ft 1in, but not a giant, except in the minds of his awed students. He certainly disciplined himself, usually starting work shortly after four in the morning, surrounded by those of his numerous cats that had woken up. Although it helped a teacher to have an easy command over his pupils, he was suspicious of authority; and indeed of the nature of fame. He wrote that many scientists, such as Newton and Galileo, were famous partly because they had been portrayed as rebels, but in fact, their genius had been adapted to the needs of their time. He approved of the aphorism that standing "on the shoulders of giants" makes progress. His coinage of terms like ''self-fulfilling prophecy'' and ''role models'' filtered from his academic pursuits into everyday language. During the last years of his life, he fought and overcame six different cancers. He died on February 23, 2003 at the age of 92.
Studies:.
- bureaucracies .
- mass communications.
- social influence .
- the professions .
- human behavior without prejudice.
- new thinking.
o criminality.
o racism.
o mass media.
Robert K. Merton has contributed some of the most influential theories on the issue of deviance. Unarguably one of the most influential sociologists of our time, Merton has also made numerous contributions to the field of criminology. Merton's influence has also been felt by historians of science,...
Robert Merton is one of many sociologists to use the strain theory to explain deviance. ... Merton described this deviant behaviour as 'innovation'; in order to fulfill a culturally approved goal, one must use unconventional means to attain it. ... According to Merton, these both fall under the rebellion category of strain theory, as citizens were choosing to go against the norm in order to fulfill a redefined goal. ... Another great example of Merton's theory in practice would be through the examination of the popular show Breaking Bad. ... In this case, Walter would fall unde...
Robert K. Merton's anomie theory (a theory which tries to relate social stress to deviance) directly pertains to the behavior explanation of factory workers. ... Merton believed that American society put a very high value on monetary success. ... This is where Merton's hypothesis achieves its shape. ... Each possibility forms a specific deviant group according to Merton. ...
Is criminal behavior the result of nature or nurture? Questions about crime have been around ever since man first committed it. One of the most sought after questions today is whether criminal behavior is the result of nature or nurture. As the debate continues today, research has shown evid...
What is the Nobel Prize for economics? The Nobel Prize for economics is the most prestigious award for contributions towards the field of economics. This prize is given to only the influential and elite leaders in economics. The Nobel Prize was named after Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Prize for econo...
(Giddens, 1997) Robert K. Merton similarly links and emphasizes the normality of the criminal (Merton 1957). ... Merton adapted the concept of anomie to refer to the strain put on individuals" behavior when accepted norms conflict with social reality. ...
"Got my own mind, I want to make my own decisions; when it has to do with my own life, I wanna be the one in control.' These lyrics, sung by Janet Jackson, hold similar ideas that tie into social control theory. The song talks about being in control of one's own life and the choices they make. Those...
Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton were all key contributors to the structural-functional paradigm. ... Robert Merton took a more contemporary approach and expanded this paradigm. ... Merton saw that the social patters affected everyone differently. ...
The movie "Empire" is a dramatization of the life in the shoes of one of four heroin dealers in the New York City area known as South Bronx. It is a story told by Victor Rosa, the main character referred to by many as Vic, as the viewer follows him around the city. The movie begins by naming all the...
