Question

Joey grew up in an impoverished rural community in the Appalachian Mountains with a high joblessness rate. He learned early on that to be successful meant achieving financial wealth, but without any hope of landing a lucrative career in his hometown, he turned to selling stolen opioid painkillers and became relatively wealthy. According to Merton's strain theory, Joey is a(n) _______.

Answer 1

Question options:

rebel.

white-collar criminal.

anomic.

innovator.

Answer:

innovator

Explanation:

As developed by Robert k. Merton in 1938, Strain theory, a sociology and criminology theory suggests that society's pressure on individuals to establish themselves as regards socially accepted goals (such as the American dream) which they lack the means to provide may force them and lead to strain in which these individuals may commit crimes, such as selling drugs, involving in armed robbery or becoming involved in prostitution to gain financial security. Robert classifies individuals in the above example as "innovators".