Mertons most popular book is social theory and social structure. The book encompasses all subfields of finance within a single unifying conceptual framework, and offers the big picture of resource allocation over time under conditions of. Robert k mertons strain theory explained sociology. The only other changes are technical and minor ones. Merton was born in philadelphia, america in july 1910. A perspective is simply a way of looking at the world. Within functionalism, the most significant criticisms come from robert k. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Merton harvard university t here persists a notable tendency in sociological theory to attribute the malfunctioning of social structure primarily to those of mans imperious biological drives which are not adequately restrained by social control.
Fundamentals of sociology is written for undergraduate students of sociology. A search query can be a title of the book, a name of the author, isbn or. Merton, american sociologist whose diverse interests included the sociology of science and the professions, sociological theory, and mass communication. Merton s most popular book is social theory and social structure. The manifest functions are obvious, admitted and generally applauded. Acclaimed authors bodie and merton offer an approach balanced among the three pillars of financeoptimization over time, asset valuation, and risk management. Robert king merton 19102003 is a selfstyled durkheimian, writing very much in the functional tradition. The revised edition of 1957 remains intact except that its short introduction has been greatly expanded to appear here as chapters i and ii. Advertisements author karl thompson posted on june 21, 2016 june 17, 2016 categories functionalism tags functionalism, robert merton, social theory. Sociology of science and sociology as science nuran erol is. Like other sociologists, merton believed that society provides individuals with life. Offers a comprehensive perspective on knowledge production in the field of sociology. Chapters three through five are taken from part one of his previous works titled, social theory and social structure.
Social theory and social structure robert king merton. Mertons reach can be felt in the study of social structure, social psychology, deviance, professions, organizations, culture, and science. Merton 19102003 was one of the most influentialsociologists of the twentieth century. Sociology of science and sociology as science a columbia ssrc book. Merton, in full robert king merton, original name meyer robert schkolnick, born july 4, 1910, philadelphia, pennsylvania, u. Merton department of sociology columbia university new york, ny 10027 february 9, 1980 ccnumber 21 this weeks citation classicmay 26, 1980 merton r k. Merton who, in his discussion of deviance, proposed a typology of deviant behavior. Moreover, it is a tribute to the scope of mertons work and the influence merton has had on the work and life of sociologists around the world. These are functions which people assume and expect the institutions to fulfil. However, equal access to those goals did not exist. Merton demonstrated an impressive productivity as a sociologist of different. Merton 19102003 was university professor emeritus at columbia university, the first george sarton professor of the history of science at the university of ghent belgium, and a leading figure in the sociology of science. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading robert k.
Merton via his books, and particularly the seminal social theory and social structure. Robert merton in his theoretical analysis of social structure and anomie takes inspiration from durkheims work. Apr 16, 2016 mertons strain theory is an important contribution to the study of crime and deviance in the 1940s it helped to explain why crime continued to exist in countries, such as america, which were experiencing increasing economic growth and wealth. Mertons work addressed the challenges of integrating research and theory. In the late 1930s, he went on to create his strain theory. Merton is unarguably one of the most influential sociologists of his time. Merton, including on theoretical sociology, and on the shoulders of giants. With playfulness and a large dose of wit, robert merton traces the origin of newtons aphorism, if i have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. Merton, taking inspirations from theories like above and introduces the concept of anticipatory socialization. Mertons strain theory is an important contribution to the study of crime and deviance in the 1940s it helped to explain why crime continued to exist in countries, such as america, which were experiencing increasing economic growth and wealth. It is characteristic of a science in its earlier stages. He changed his name at the age of 14 to robert merton, which evolved out of a teenage career as an amateur magician as he blended the names of famous magicians. A figure whose wideranging theoretical and methodological contributions have become fundamental to the field, merton is best known for introducing such concepts and procedures as unanticipated consequences, selffulfilling prophecies, focused group interviews, middlerange theory, opportunity structure, and.
Merton an excerpt from social theory and social structure begins on p. Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. The emergence, diffusion, and differentiation of a sociological concept. Merton,one of the towering figures on whose shoulders contemporary sociology rests, died sunday,february 23rd. A search query can be a title of the book, a name of the author, isbn or anything else. Mertons parents were jewish immigrants from eastern. Sci indicates that this book has received over 175 unique citations since 1961. In conceiving of society as a system it becomes natural to see it, like other systems, as composed of p. Merton s parents were jewish immigrants from eastern. Chapters one and two have been added to this previous work to attempt to better explain sociological theory and its connection to its past as a prerequisite to any future. Adapted from robb webbs second year a level sociology text book. Merton 19102003 was one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century, producing clear theories and innovative research that continue to shape multiple disciplines.
Schkolnick in philadelphia into a working class eastern european jewish immigrant family. Social theory and social structure robert king merton snippet view 1968. In 1998 the international sociological association listed this work as the third most important sociological book of the 20th century. He considers that this concept is useful to explain social mobility in the class structure, assimilation of ethnic minorities into the culture of dominant groups. Sociology of science and sociology as science a columbia ssrc book craig calhoun on. This book studies the sociology of health and medicine across three different countries, the usa, uk and australia, examining the nature of disciplines and. Using as a model the discursive and digressive style of sternes tristram shandy, merton presents a whimsical yet scholarly work which deals with the questions of creativity, tradition, plagiarism, the transmission of. Merton social theory and social structure see other formats. The multicultural and classic readings by charles lemert westview press, 1999 2nd edition librarians tip. Robert k merton was born in 1910 in the usa and is credited with coining the terms selffulfilling prophecy and role models as well as extensive research into the concept of the american dream. This new printing is not a newly revised edition, only an enlarged one.
The first edition was subtitled towards the codification of theory and research, but this was dropped for later editions. The word anomie derives from the greek word arwmia, meaning lawlessness or. Merton has 32 books on goodreads with 7735 ratings. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This was just one of his theories which gained prominence amongst social science circles and beyond. It has been translated into close to 20 languages and is one of the most frequently cited texts in social sciences. Robert k mertons strain theory explained sociology tutor2u. Understanding social problems, 5 th edition theories in sociology provide us with different perspectives with which to view our social world.
Social theory and social structure was a landmark publication in sociology by robert k. Merton, science, technology and society in seventeenthcentury. Middlerange theory is principally used in sociology to guide empirical inquiry. Merton 19102003 merton on structural functionalism.
Merton s work addressed the challenges of integrating research and theory. The three main sociological perspectives 1 the three main sociological perspectives from mooney, knox, and schacht, 2007. This book comprehensively explains the basics of sociology, including social concepts, institutions and the theories of prominent thinkers. Buy social theory and social structure 1968 enlarged ed by merton, robert k. Ccnumber 21 this weeks citation classicmay 26, 1980. Sociology of science and sociology as science calhouncraig ed.
Mertons impact on sociology as a whole has been large, and his impact on the sociology of science has been so momentous that the title of the book is apt, because mertons writings represent modern sociology of science more than any other single. It discusses various important approaches to sociology, including women and society, social. A consistent bestseller, the wideranging and authoritative dictionary of sociology was first published in 1994 and contains more than 2,500 entries on the terminology, methods, concepts, and thinkers in the field, as well as from the related fields of psychology, economics, anthropology, philosophy, and political science. Selected fulltext books and articles social theory. It has been translated into close to 20 languages and is one of. Pdf over the period of three quarters of a century, robert k. Robert merton divides this book into five chapters. It provided the intellectual foundation for mertons attempt to develop a macrolevel explanation of rates of norm violating behaviour in american society. For example schools are expected to educate the children in the knowledge and skills that they need. Merton also sought to integrate sociology with the institutional analysis of science, each informing the other. Merton 1938 concluded that americans were socialised into believing in the american dream. Merton s reach can be felt in the study of social structure, social psychology, deviance, professions, organizations, culture, and science. The paperback of the on theoretical sociology by robert k.
The theory states that social structures may pressure citizens to commit crimes. Mertons reach can be felt in the study of social structure, social psychology, deviance, professions, organizations, culture, and. On sociological theories of the middle range 1949 csun. Indispensability parsons assumes that everything in society the family, religion and so on is functionally indispensable in its existing form. Social strain theory was developed by famed american sociologist robert k. According to robert merton manifest functions are those that are intended and recognized. Merton, on sociologicaltheoriesof the middle range, pp. Storer the university of chicago press chicago and london 73 the sociology of science theoretical and empirical investigations the normative structure of science 1942 science, like any other activity involving social collaboration, is subject to shifting fortunes. He spent most of his career teaching at columbia university, where he attained the rank of university professor. Merton was born july 4th, 1910, and his extraordinary life story evokes both the universalism of science and an american trajectory appropriate to the holiday birthday. It connected different fields of empirical research and spoke to the importance of overcoming divisions between allegedly pure and applied sociology.