The institutional anime theory, developed by Rosenfeld and Messner in 1994, borrows heavily from Merton’s strain theory. The theory plays a crucial role in the provision of the theoretical origin of crimes in the US. It explains the reasons for the increased crime rates in the US through attribution to socioeconomic factors. In essence, Rosenfeld and Messner argue that high crime rates in the US result from both economic goals and cultural pressures in the country (Zito, 2019). In essence, the theory argues that the country's crime rates result from commitment towards the achievement of material success. In this case, the theory places massive emphasis on the motivations originating from capitalism. The theory assumes that the American culture of valuing economic profitability contributes to increased crime rates in the country. Additionally, it also argues that increased crime rates are due to socioeconomic pressures exerted on people due to poor and unequal distribution of resources, social and economic.
The institutional anomie theory is highly related to Merton’s anomie theory. Merton’s theory argues that people are always working to achieve goals that are culturally recognized and accepted. In essence, the theory argues that blocking access to the goals leads to anomie states' formation. Therefore, people start showing rebellion, ritualism, conformity, retreat, and innovation. Rosenfeld and Messner borrowed from the anomie theory by using it as a basis to understand the cause of crime in the US. While the anomie theory showed the impacts of denying access to culturally accepted goals, the institutional anomie theory focused on understanding the factors contributing to crime (Zito, 2019). Therefore, without foundation laid by Merton’s theory, it would have been difficult for Rosenfeld and Messner to establish their argument. Despite being related, the two theories are hugely different because Rosenfeld and Messner focused on situations that lead to the inability to hold individual behavior. On the contrary, Merton focused on explaining the origins of crime by associating them with various socioeconomic factors.
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References
Zito, R. C. (2019). Institutional anomie and justification of morally dubious behavior and violence cross-nationally: A multilevel examination. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology , 52 (2), 250-271. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0004865818785653
