This brief, personal and affectionate memoir reflects my fortyyear association with robert k. Actions have both intended and unintended consequences. Unintended consequences wikipedia republished wiki 2. Merton, one of the most influential sociologists of the 20th century, whose coinage of terms like selffulfilling prophecy and role models filtered from his academic pursuits. The recognized or intended consequences of any social pattern. The protestant ethic of hard work and asceticism, he wrote, paradoxically leads to its own decline through the accumulation of wealth and possessions. Merton s most popular book is social theory and social structure. Merton 1936 was responsible for many other sociological ideas captured in. Merton social theory and social structure see other formats. New york 1, new york 2, 23 february 2003,sociology of science and knowledge, social theory. He considers that this concept is useful to explain social mobility in the class structure, assimilation of ethnic minorities into the culture of dominant groups. Schkolnick in philadelphia into a working class eastern european jewish immigrant family.
Robert k merton latent and manifest functions best ias. According to merton, unanticipated consequences are actions that have both intended and unintended consequences. A further example is the now famous law of unanticipated consequences. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. American sociologist robert merton s law of unintended consequences has evolved to include political actions that result in events not foreseen by the originating government body. This collection of essays aims to revive the sociological debate on the unintended, unanticipated and unexpected consequences of social action, as started by. Buy the hardcover book sociology and the unintended. The law of unintended consequences belongs to the realm of sociology.
Merton eugene garfield using the histcite system of algorithmic historiography, we have created a series of online databases available to the public, which contain bibliographic records and citation links to a series of merton s publications. The law of unintended consequences can be classified into three distinct. Robert merton codified this habit in his oftcited essay, the unanticipated consequences of purposive social action. This collection of essays aims to revive the sociological debate on the unintended, unanticipated and unexpected consequences of social action, as started by robert k. My mother, lucianna ross, who taught me by her example that you have to spend on your talent and do what you believe is right. Although everyone is aware of the intended consequences, sociological analysis is required to uncover the unintended consequences. Manifest function, latent function, and dysfunction in. In 1692 john locke, the english philosopher and a forerunner of modern economists, urged the defeat of a parliamentary bill designed to cut the maximum permissible rate. The term itself was popularized by american sociologist robert k. According to sociologist robert merton, actions have intended and unintended consequences, some of which are functional, some not. Mar 23, 2011 social theory and social structure is a landmark work by robert king merton first published in 1949.
Feb 28, 2011 the law of unintended consequences has long existed dating back to at least adam smith but was popularized in the twentieth century by sociologist robert k. Merton, american sociologist whose diverse interests included the sociology of science and the professions, sociological theory, and mass communication. The law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people. Most often, however, the law of unintended consequences illuminates the perverse unanticipated effects of legislation and regulation. Unintended consequences mostly follows the life of a man named henry bowman from the time of his birth until his lifes defining moment, some forty years later. Merton, received the nobel prize in economic science in 1997. The contributing authors provide insights on both merton. The first and most complete analysis of the concept of unintended consequences was done in 1936 by the american sociologist robert k. Although clearly a work of fiction, the story is heavily laced with historical information, including real. In an influential article titled the unanticipated consequences of purposive social action, merton identified five sources of unanticipated consequences. Merton laid out his theory of manifest function and latent function and dysfunction too in his 1949 book social theory and social structure. Merton s inter vention d efinitely extended the life of functionalism, with the introduction of some valid new concepts. The term sociology and the unintended is used in this book at its broadest. Robert merton revisited, edited by adriana mica, arkadiusz peisert and jan winczorek, presents contributions to the workshop on unintended consequences.
Avoid unintended consequences in healthcare healthcare. His discussion supported my interest in using the science citation index to demonstrate unwitting replications in science. Merton eugene garfield chairman emeritus, isi 3501 market street philadelphia, pa 19104. This conflation suggests that unintended consequences are also unanticipated, effectively obscuring an interesting and real category of phenomenaconsequences that are both unintended and. In a footnote to the 1936 article, he vowed to write a book devoted to the history and analysis of unanticipated consequences. Mertons 1936 article unanticipated consequences of purposive. This idea is related to another of mertons concepts unanticipated consequences. Bruce elder sydney morning herald 04222007 this is an imaginative, wonderfully written but sober satire on the conceits of an age whose leaders still suppose that war is the way to power over others.
It is the relationship of the individual with the group. Indeed, as gavin kennedy likes to point out, when adam smith uses the metaphor. Robert merton, along with myron scholes, received the 1997 nobel prize in economics for a new method to determine the value of derivatives see the biography for myron scholes for a discussion of the significance of this contribution to knowledge. Contrasting with both manifest and latent functions are dysfunctions, a type of unintended outcome that is harmful in nature. Unintended consequences can be grouped into three types. In my case it is robert stone that i owe for giving. The contributing authors and editors express, in this way, their general interest in the unintended, unanticipated or unexpected consequences of social action, interaction and collective decisions. The concept unanticipated consequences, coined by robert k. Merton has 46 books on goodreads with 7607 ratings. He changed his name at the age of 14 to robert merton, which evolved out of a teenage career as an amateur magician as he blended the names of famous magicians. Much of mertons analytic work focused on both consequences of action that were not anticipated by the actor. Intended but unrealized consequences of purposive social. B unintendedand bunanticipateda development to which merton himself. Unconscious or unintended functions that may reflect.
A collection of essays that aims to revive the sociological debate on the unintended, unanticipated and unexpected consequences of social action, as started by robert k merton in a classic study of it provides insights on both merton s work and the reception it received in the academia. Mertons unanticipated consequences of social action. Merton harvard university i i n some one of its numerous forms, the problem of the unanticipated consequences of purposive action has been treated by virtually every substantial contributor to the long history of social thought. It is one of the most frequently cited works in the social sciences as it is a collection of theories and insights within structural functional paradigm. The cias dronesfirst pakistan counterterrorism strategy is used to illustrate how a wellintentioned policy may generate adverse outcomes sufficient to undermine that policy. Franzi says the term unintended consequnces comes from dr. He spent most of his career researching and developing theories on social roles and coined the term status set to describe the collection of social statuses an individual might hold. Merton 1936 was responsible for many other sociological ideas captured in phrases that became widely used in ordinary conversation. Robert merton coined the habit as the unanticipated consequences of purposive action following studies that went back several years to the advent of adam smith, the economist who also coined the term the invisible hand mica 112. Unintended consequences is a novel by john ross, first published in 1996 by accurate press. Merton eugene garfield institute f or scientific information, philadelphia, pa usa having recently written about the unintended consequences of robert k. Merton was the preeminent figure in the sociology of science in the generation following world war ii 3. Merton is unarguably one of the most influential sociologists of his time. Merton, taking inspirations from theories like above and introduces the concept of anticipatory socialization.
Feb 26, 2003 robert merton, who died on sunday aged 92, was one of the most influential sociologists of the 20th century and was responsible, among other things, for coining the expressions selffulfilling. Dedication this book is dedicated to the three women in my life. Merton, which began with my chance encounter with his 1961 article in the new scientist about the phenomenon of multiples in the history of scientific discoveries. Social theory and social structure is a landmark work by robert king merton first published in 1949.
Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Part 3 unanticipated and unintended consequences latent functions and dysfunctions the two facets of the unintended consequences paradigm, raymond boudon merton s functionalism and the. Merton was born on 4 july 1910 in philadelphia as meyer robert schkolnick into a family of yiddishspeaking russian jews who had immigrated to the united. In the social sciences, unintended consequences sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences are outcomes that are not the ones foreseen and intended by a purposeful action. Robert merton, who died on sunday aged 92, was one of the most influential sociologists of the 20th century and was responsible, among other things, for coining the expressions selffulfilling. The law of unintended consequences the reformation messenger. The contributing authors provide insights on both mertons work and the reception it received in the academia.
A figure whose wideranging theoretical and methodological contributions have become fundamental to the field, merton is best known for introducing such concepts and procedures as unanticipated consequences, selffulfilling prophecies, focused group interviews, middlerange theory, opportunity structure, and. The book persuasively demonstrates that there will always be unintended consequences flowing from war. Though the setting of this book reaches back more than a century and ends in the early to mid nineties, it captures what america is facing right now. The book explains the reasons for decision failures using the law of unintended consequences.
Unintended but not unanticipated consequences springerlink. Merton wrote an article, the unanticipated consequences of purposive social action, which covers five different ways that actions, particularly those taken on a large scale as by governments, may have unexpected consequences. In 1969, as one of his steps toward developing a formula for valuing options. The contributing authors provide insights on both merton s work and. An unexpected detriment occurring in addition to the desired effect of the policy.
Few novels or any type of media, for that matter resonate so very much with a specific culture or a certain time in history as does rosss book. The runup to the us election on november 8 saw campaigncycle rhetoric that challenged us manufacturers business structure and integration practices in the. Merton 1936, has largely been replaced in current social science by its putative synonym, unintended consequences. Unintended consequence meaning unintended consequence definition unintended consequence explanation. This idea is related to another of merton s concepts unanticipated consequences. The story chronicles the history of the gun culture, gun rights, and gun control in the united states from the early 1900s through the late 1990s. The unintended and unanticipated consequences of robert k.
Merton, 1 it occurred to me that i am uniquely qualified to s peak about the intended. The law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of. The law of unintended consequences provides the basis for many criticisms of government programs. John ross unintended consequences freedoms phoenix. By 1991, merton, age eighty, had produced six hundred pages of manuscript but still not completed the work.
Merton wrote an article, the unanticipated consequences of purposive social action, which covers five different ways that actions, particularly those taken on a large scale as by governments, may have. As merton notes in that essay, analyses of unanticipated consequences go back hundreds of years, to adam smith and before. The term was popularised in the twentieth century by american sociologist robert k. He published a paper in 1936 about unintended consequences arising in large scale social systems. Basic values was merton s fourth source of unintended consequences.
The unintended and unanticipated consequences of robert. The unintended consequences can be functional, dysfunctional or nonfunctional. Mar 20, 2020 the law of unintended consequences is the outgrowth of many theories, but was probably best defined by sociologist robert k. This book is dedicated to the three women in my life. In this article, we tackle unintended consequences and how to minimize them in our. Merton invented the terms selffulfilling prophecy, unintended consequences, and role model. Pdf the concept unanticipated consequences, coined by robert k. The law has been discussed by philosophers and economists for centuries including adam smith, john locke etc, but it was brilliantly explained by the sociologist robert k merton in a 1936 paper the unanticipated consequences of purposive social action. Avoid unintended consequences in healthcare healthcare success. Merton studied under talcott parsons at harvard and later became professor at columbia. Mertons most popular book is social theory and social structure. Merton, known as the father of modern sociology, who lived from the 1920s to the early 2000s. Robert k merton reference groups best ias institute in. Robert merton revisited represents a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to the topics it discusses and offers a wide range of studies to illustrate them.
This is a major book by robert merton that offers us almost complete contributions made by him in. In spite of this broad interpretation, the volume treats merton s. In his theory, merton stated that often unanticipated consequences or. The 1936 groundbreaking analysis of this concept by sociologist robert merton in unanticipated consequences of purposive social action1 began a long history of deliberate exploration of the unanticipated, unexpected, and unintended consequences of purposeful action that arise from a complex range of factors, and impact in a variety of ways. This lesson will discuss robert mertons functionalist view of society. A perverse effect contrary to what was originally intended. Merton has identified five potential causes of consequences we. In the social sciences, unintended consequences are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen. Based on the work of herbert spencer, emily durkheim and robert merton. Jeff discusses the concept of unintended consequences as it relates to. The law of unintended consequences is the outgrowth of many theories, but was probably best defined by sociologist robert k. Sociologists have always been interested in studying unintended consequences. The unrecognized or unintended consequences of any social pattern.
So state kenneth hagan and ian bickerton, world class secondguessers and absolute strangers to nuance. Bunintendedand bunanticipateda development to which merton himself. Sociology and the unintended robert merton revisited book. Merton has 46 books on goodreads with 7618 ratings. In the social sciences, unintended consequences sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen. Apr 12, 2015 the concept unanticipated consequences, coined by robert k. The unanticipated consequences of purposive social action. The law of unintended consequences university discoveries. Robert k merton reference groups best ias institute in delhi. This account draws on the work of sociologist robert k. He published a paper in 1936 about unintended consequences arising in.
It draws inspiration from mertons work on the unintended consequences, a milestone for sociological thought, provoking contrasting reactions since when it was first published in 1936. Columbia university sociologist who created the concepts of unintended consequences and the selffulfilling prophecy. Merton identified five principle causes of unanticipated consequences. An erosion gully in australia caused by rabbits, an. Robert mertons theory of manifest function american sociologist robert k. Everyone is aware of the intended consequences, but the unintended are more difficult to recognize, and therefore, sociological analysis is required to uncover what they may be. Clausewitz was not only wrong, he was seriously wrong.
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