Which deviant adaptation occurs when a person accepts society's goals but uses illegitimate means to achieve them?

Which deviant adaptation occurs when a person accepts society's goals but uses illegitimate means to achieve them?

• A. Ritualism
• B. Innovation
• C. Retreatism
• D. Rebellion

Answer: (B)

In strain theory, when society emphasizes a goal like financial success but restricts legitimate routes to achieve it, people adapt in various ways. The idea here is someone still buys into the goal of wealth but chooses illegitimate methods to obtain it, rather than following the approved, legal path. That combination is called innovation. It preserves the same desired outcome but diverges in method, leading to acts like fraud or theft to reach the goal. In contrast, ritualism involves going through the motions of the approved means without aiming for the goal; retreatism means dropping out of both goals and means; and rebellion means rejecting the existing goals and means and adopting new ones.

In strain theory, when society emphasizes a goal like financial success but restricts legitimate routes to achieve it, people adapt in various ways. The idea here is someone still buys into the goal of wealth but chooses illegitimate methods to obtain it, rather than following the approved, legal path. That combination is called innovation. It preserves the same desired outcome but diverges in method, leading to acts like fraud or theft to reach the goal. In contrast, ritualism involves going through the motions of the approved means without aiming for the goal; retreatism means dropping out of both goals and means; and rebellion means rejecting the existing goals and means and adopting new ones.