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Robert K. Merton’s strain theory is one of the most significant sociological explanations of crime and deviance. It explains how social structures and cultural expectations influence individual behavior, particularly in relation to achieving socially approved goals. According to Merton, every society defines certain cultural goals such as wealth, success, and social mobility. At the same time, societies also provide institutionalized means to achieve these goals, such as education, employment, and legal opportunities. When individuals are unable to achieve these goals through legitimate means due to structural barriers or inequalities, they experience strain or pressure. This strain may lead them to adopt alternative methods, some of which may be deviant or criminal in nature. Thus, crime is not merely an outcome of individual pathology but a product of the gap between cultural goals and the legitimate means available to achieve them. Merton elaborated five modes of adaptation to this strain: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Each of these represents a different response to the tension between societal goals and means, and all can be observed in the Indian context through various social realities. The first mode of adaptation is conformity. Conformists accept both the culturally prescribed goals and the legitimate means to achieve them. In India, a large section of the middle class represents conformity. Students striving to secure good marks, enrolling in universities, and later obtaining stable jobs through competitive examinations demonstrate this mode. Despite the presence of structural barriers such as poverty, corruption, or limited opportunities, conformists continue to work within the existing legal and social framework. For instance, lakhs ________ ________ _____ ________ ______.
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