Merton and Durkheim both wrote about anomie as a sociological theory, and they appear to explain it in the same way. Yet, at times they seem to be discussing two variations on a topic of their collective definition, which is essentially the same.
In summary, that description refers to a person’s ability in a society whose basic requirements have not been fulfilled to achieve societal norms. The norms within a society focus on governing the productivity of each person’s existence in that community.
The fundamental norm that Merton and Durkheim’s views share is that of anomie caused by the failure to meet one or more of the required criteria imposed on human life within communities. Furthermore, individuals cannot succeed if they are set up to fail. These denials of elemental requirements, mainly finances in many cases, impose an overwhelming set of restrictions on one’s livelihood.
The U.S. Constitution’s Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness statement tends to outline the rules imposed on all individuals by society. The communal standard of always striving for the golden ring of prosperity is something that thousands of lower-class persons have little to no capacity to attain, let alone acquire.
The essence of the situation is that when these events arise in people’s lives, robbing them of their efforts to deliver, the ones who are most impacted are usually the weak. For example, when a family member becomes ill and requires costly treatment. Due to the pressure of paying for expensive therapy, the individual decides to participate in dishonest techniques to acquire the required finances.
Many citizens are forced into such decisions because they lack alternative means to be able to raise the resources. This social member may be a peaceful, law-abiding citizen. Still, anomie has forced them to do what is considered unthinkable to produce for their loved ones the life-sustaining drugs, surgery, or other therapy required to keep them alive.
It appears that this less-than-desirable achievement of social norms could be a portal via which the once law-abiding civilian’s set of living standards could be reset. Not always, but most persons who commit crimes suffer from some anomie. Of course, there are instances where crime is performed by individuals who desire to accomplish it for no specific reason, but it is connected to things in their lives that they could not obtain by normal societal means.