Similar to his childhood, he could recognize the disproportional distribution of wealth, being that his parents were also immigrants. It was at this time that Merton most likely concluded that the means of achieving the American Dream was not attainable for every individual. This is how Merton's most famous essay, Social Structure and Anomie (1938), was produced into a masterpiece according to many areas of specialization, including criminology. However, it was not until reading Emile Durkheim's theory of anomie that Merton decided to expand on his own theory of anomie. This became a production of one of the most influential theories in the field of criminology.
Part II - Contributions to Criminology.
Robert K. Merton has made numerous contributions to the field of criminology. His theories have centered on understanding the deviant culture. Merton's numerous works include: Social Theory and Social Structure (New York: Free Press, 1949, rev. ed. 1968), On Social Structure and Science (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago, rev. ed. 1966), and possibly his most famous essay, Social Structure and Anomie (New York: Irvington, 1938). Social Structure and Anomie has been said to be the most widely cited article in sociology. Merton has been credited as defining anomie, strain, manifest and latent functions, self-fulfilling prophecy, deviant, and the theory of reference groups; all of which have been employed in the field of criminology and criminal justice.
In "Social Structure and Anomie" (1938), Merton opens the article by challenging some biologically based theories that were relatively popular at the time. These theories viewed crime as a result of biological traits, while Merton instead argued crime derives from societal conditions. His extension of the anomie perspective grew from what Merton saw as the crisis of mid-twentieth century America (Pfohl, 1994, p. 261). Merton saw the society as extremely productive, yet at the same time creating frustration and strain, since all groups do not get equal access to societal means and goals.
