Middle range theory (sociology)
Middle-range theory in sociology is a framework developed by Robert King Merton in the 1950s and 1960s that serves to bridge the gap between grand theories and empirical research. While grand theories tend to be abstract and speculative, middle-range theory emphasizes the importance of empirical evidence and aims to produce theories that are more directly applicable to social phenomena. This approach allows sociologists to systematically analyze various aspects of society, including deviance, social structures, and cultural dynamics, using observable data to inform their theories.
Merton's middle-range theory proposes that sociological theories should be grounded in factual observations, allowing researchers to understand social behavior more effectively. For instance, Merton's exploration of deviance highlighted the pressures individuals face in conforming to social norms and the various responses they may have, such as conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Each of these responses can have functional or dysfunctional consequences for social structures, illustrating the complexity of human behavior in relation to societal expectations. Overall, middle-range theory has become a vital part of sociological research, fostering a more nuanced understanding of social dynamics.
Middle range theory (sociology)
In sociology, middle-range theory is a theory that makes a connection between the contrasting approaches of grand theory and empirical research. Middle-range theory provides a way for sociologists to find a middle ground between the two approaches. It was developed by American sociologist Robert King Merton in the 1950s and 1960s. Merton applied middle-range theory to the study of various social phenomena. Numerous concepts related to middle-range theory have been incorporated into the field of sociology, including the manner in which sociologists perform research.
About Robert King Merton
Robert King Merton was born on July 4, 1910, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents. His birth name was Meyer R. Schkolnick, but he later changed his name when he became an amateur magician as a teenager. Robert King Merton became his stage name.
Merton attended Temple University, where he became a research assistant to sociologist and undergraduate teacher George E. Simpson. As a research assistant, Merton was involved with a project concerning race and the media. He later attended prestigious Harvard University. There, Merton became a research assistant to sociologist Pitirim Sorokin, who was chair of Harvard's sociology department. Merton and Sorokin soon began coauthoring papers. Merton also took a course by sociologist Talcott Parsons. Both Sorokin and Parsons would influence Merton's later work.
Merton published several scholarly articles in 1934 and 1935 while he was a graduate student. The articles included "Recent French Sociology," "The Course of Arabian Intellectual Development, 700–1300 A.D.," "Fluctuations in the Rate of Industrial Invention," and "Science and Military Technique." In 1938, he published the study Science, Technology, and Society in Seventeenth Century England, which helped pave the way for the study of the sociology of science. Merton went on to teach at Columbia University, where he enjoyed a long career.
Merton contributed much to the field of sociology. Besides developing the middle-range theory, he contributed to various fields of study, including bureaucracy, deviance, and communications. He also helped break new ground in modern policy research. Some of his most important studies were those of World War II propaganda and mass communications, which he performed with the help of colleagues and students at Columbia. He also wrote the influential books Social Theory and Social Structure (1949) and On the Shoulders of Giants (1965), which is also known by the acronym OTSOG. Additionally, he coined the phrases "self-fulfilling prophecy" and "role model."
In his personal life, Merton married Harriet Zuckerman, who also collaborated with him on professional endeavors. The couple had three children. Merton died on February 23, 2003, in New York City at the age of ninety-two.
Overview of Theory
The middle-range theory involves grand theory and empirical research, which are contrasting approaches. Grand theory is abstract theorizing that places more emphasis on the order and arrangement of concepts than on comprehension of society. Conversely, empirical research is research derived from observation and experience instead of theories. As its name implies, the middle-range theory lies between these two approaches. It asserts that theory should be empirically based, and observation and experience should be theoretically based.
When it came to sociological theories, Merton believed that grand theory was far too speculative and abstract and did not relate to reality. He therefore believed that such theories did not allow for much understanding of society. His middle-range theory claims that sociological theories should be driven by fact rather than speculation. Furthermore, these facts should be arranged in a consolidated way and explained systematically.
Middle-Range Theory in Action
Middle-range theory can be applied to the study of different social phenomena, including deviance, social structure, cultural structure, and mass communication. For example, Merton used his theory to study deviance, which is behavior that breaks social norms. Middle-range theory helped him determine that social structures have legitimate norms, goals, and means and that people often are pressured into breaking them. The theory also aided Merton in identifying several types of individual variations. These included conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. With conformity, an individual conforms to, or obeys, the norms, goals, and means of social structure. Through innovation, an individual uses illegitimate means to accept legitimate goals. With ritualism, an individual rejects goals but accepts norms. An individual practicing retreatism condemns both goals and means. Lastly, with rebellion, an individual either conforms to goals and means or rejects them.
All of these variations can be either functional or dysfunctional and manifest or latent. Those that are functional allow a social structure to be adapted, while dysfunctional variations deter this from happening. Variations that are manifest comply with the accepted and proposed goals of the social structure, while variations that are latent do not comply with these goals. The deviant behavior of stealing is a good example. Stealing may seem like it is always a manifest dysfunction. However, stealing is a latent function if an individual steals food for his children.
Bibliography
Burns, Janet M.C. "Middle-Range Theory." Encyclopedia of Case Study Research. Eds. Albert J. Mills, Gabrielle Durepos, and Elden Wiebe. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2010, 559–561. Print.
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