Robert K. Merton

American sociologist

• Born: July 4, 1910
• Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Died: February 23, 2003
• Place of Death: New York, New York

Education: Temple University; Harvard University

Significance: Robert K. Merton is considered to be one of the most influential social scientists of the twentieth century. He helped define the field of sociology and developed important ideas that have become part of the culture.

Background

Meyer Robert Schkolnick, the younger of two children, was the son of Jewish immigrants who came to the United States from eastern Europe. From an early age, his interests were remarkably varied, but his greatest loves were science, history, biographies, and literature. At age fourteen, he changed his name in preparation for the future he imagined for himself—as a magician. Studying the life of Harry Houdini, he learned that Houdini based his stage name on that of French magician Robert Houdin. This information provided him with his new, adopted first name, Robert. Merton was a variation of Merlin, the wizard who played such a prominent role in the legends about the Knights of the Round Table. King was chosen for a middle name, but Merton only ever used the initial K. Merton did, in fact, become a skilled magician. However, at Temple University, which he attended on a scholarship, Merton was invited to become a research assistant for sociologist George E. Simpson. Sociology captivated Merton and became his new goal.

Merton’s introduction to Russian-born sociologist Pitirim Sorokin, who had founded the sociology department at Harvard University, influenced Merton’s next move. Once he had his BA from Temple, Merton headed to Harvard, where he earned an MA (1932) and a PhD (1936). His dissertation examined the role that Puritanism had played in encouraging the rise of science in the 1600s. This dissertation was published in 1938 as Science, Technology and Society in Seventeenth Century England. Many consider this to be the first work in the new field of sociology of science.

Life’s Work

Merton’s thesis, which still inspires inquiries into the origins of modern science, marked the beginning of a long career of research, writing, and lecturing. Upon completion of his PhD, Merton became an instructor in Harvard’s sociology department. In 1939, he was offered and accepted a position at Tulane University. Rising quickly at this school, he went from being an associate professor to the chair of the sociology department. Then in 1941, he accepted a position in the sociology department at Columbia University in New York City. Columbia would remain his academic home for the next forty years. Sociology was a relatively new science at the time, and Merton’s work influenced the development of this field of study.

In addition to teaching at Columbia from 1942 to 1971, Merton was the associate director of the university’s Bureau of Applied Social Research, a department that had only come into existence a year before Merton’s arrival. The head of the bureau was Paul Lazarsfeld. Merton’s knowledge of history and brilliance as a theorist complemented Lazarsfeld’s research methods. The two men worked together from 1941 until 1976. The twentieth century would give them much material—from the reactions of World War II soldiers to propaganda and on through the changes in society that would follow the war. The demand for research in the field of sociology increased as society worked to deal with the world of the twentieth century. The collaboration of Merton and Lazarsfeld, who produced a great deal of insight into how individuals and societies function, also greatly improved the standards of training for the social sciences.

Merton’s theories reached into everyday life. Practical ideas, such as those found in The Focused Interview(1956), went on to alter how business was done, leading to the emergence of focus groups. He examined how media can be used to change behavior (Mass Persuasion) and developed a theory of deviant behavior, which looked at different types of social adaptation. He created ideas and terms that became mainstream.

Merton retired from Columbia in 1979, although he continued to teach. He became an adjunct professor at Rockefeller University and was the first foundation scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation. He finally retired from teaching in 1984. However, he continued to do research.

Merton received many awards and honors for his work. He was the first sociologist to be named a MacArthur Fellow (1983–88). He received honorary degrees from more than twenty universities. He was one of the first sociologists to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences and was the first sociologist to be awarded the National Medal of Science, which he received in 1994.

Merton was the author, coauthor, or editor of more than twenty books and two hundred articles. His book Social Theory and Social Structure(1949), has been through more than thirty printings and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He remained sharp and involved until the end. He died of cancer on February 23, 2003, at the age of ninety-two.

Impact

Merton is considered to be one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century. He and his peers helped define the science of sociology. His writings still inspire new research and discussions, and a surprising amount of Merton’s output entered the mainstream. Even those who wouldn’t recognize his name are familiar with his work. Everyone from corporate marketers to politicians rely on the focus groups that emerged from Merton’s pioneering efforts. Phrases Merton coined that are in common use include self-fulfilling prophecy, unintended consequences, and role model. Beginning in 2013, the International Network of Analytical Sociology granted the Robert K. Merton Award for the best paper in analytical sociology each year.

Personal Life

Merton was married twice. His first marriage produced three children: Stephanie, Robert, and Vanessa. While there is no Nobel Prize for sociology, thus making it impossible for Merton to win such an award, his son, Robert C. Merton, won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1997. His second wife survived him, as did his three children, nine grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Bibliography

"About the Robert K. Merton Award." INAS, 2024, analyticalsociology.com/the-merton-award#:~:text=Merton%20Award%20for%20the%20best,on%20a%20thorough%20selection%20process. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.

Calhoun, Craig, ed. Robert K. Merton: Sociology of Science and Sociology as Science. New York: Columbia UP, 2010. Print.

Calhoun, Craig, SSRC, et al. "Robert K. Merton Remembered." Footnotes. American Sociological Association, March 2003. Web. 16 Jan. 2016. <http://www.asanet.org/footnotes/mar03/indextwo.html>.

"Robert K. Merton Papers, 1928–2003." Columbia University Libraries Archival Collections. Columbia University Libraries, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2016. <http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/archival/collections/ldpd‗6911309/>.

Hollander, Jason. "Renowned Columbia Sociologist and National Medal of Science Winner Robert K. Merton Dies at 92." Columbia News. Public Affairs, 25 Feb. 2003. Web. 16 Jan. 2016. <http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/03/02/robertKMerton.html>.

Holton, Gerald. "Robert K. Merton" Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 148.4 (Dec. 2004), 505–17. Web. 16 Jan. 2016. <https://amphilsoc.org/sites/default/files/proceedings/480411.pdf>.

Kaufman, Michael T. "Robert K. Merton, Versatile Sociologist and Father of the Focus Group, Dies at 92." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 24 Feb. 2003. Web. 16 Jan. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/24/nyregion/robert-k-merton-versatile-sociologist-and-father-of-the-focus-group-dies-at-92.html>.

Tabboni, Simonetta, and Carlo Mongardini, ed. Robert K. Merton and Contemporary Sociology. Piscataway: Transaction, 1998. Print.