What are Merton's five modes of adaptation? Why is innovation most important when studying organized crime?

What will be an ideal response?


Merton states there are five modes of individual adaptation to this phenomenon: conformity, ritualism, rebellion, retreatism, and innovation. We are concerned only with the last adaptation—innovation—that includes organized criminal activity for those who would play the game differently.
"The ‘American Dream' urges all citizens to succeed whilst distributing the opportunity to succeed unequally: the result of this social and moral climate, inevitably, is innovation by the citizenry—the adoption of illegitimate means to pursue and obtain success.". However, "routine" pedestrian criminal acts do not lead to any significant level of economic success. Innovation, then, is the adoption of sophisticated, well-planned, skilled, organized criminality.

Criminal Justice

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.___________ offenders are led to offending mainly by structural disadvantages and tend to mature out of crime

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

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Research that links antisocial behavior to a person's diet draws from which theoretical perspective?

a. biosocial theories b. choice theory c. behaviorism d. personality trait theory

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An investigation of behavior (such as criminal activity) based on a subject's responses is a(n) __________.

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Criminal Justice

Reporting rates for crimes vary by _____

a. geographical location b. age c. race d. all of these

Criminal Justice