Question

Which theorist argued that deviance is a result of a disconnect between wants and means?

Answer 1

Robert K. Merton is the one who postulated that deviance is actually a consequence of inequality caused by the society which pressures people to achieve certain goals that are believed by the same society to be acceptable and the lack of legal means to achieve those same goals. This creates a disconnect that may lead to deviance. Merton developed this theory in 1938.