Robert K. Merton
| Robert K. Merton | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Meyer Robert Schkolnick July 4, 1910 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 2003 (aged 92) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University (MA) (PhD) Temple University (BA) |
| Occupation | Sociologist |
| Known for | Advancements in the field of sociology; self-fulfilling prophecy, focus group, ritualism, role model, reference group, unanticipated consequences, and opportunity structure |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Zuckerman, Suzanne Carhart |
| Children | Vanessa Merton, Robert C. Merton, Stephanie Merton Tombrello |
| Awards |
John Desmond Bernal Prize (1982) National Medal of Science (1994) |
Robert King Merton (born Meyer Robert Schkolnick; 4 July 1910 – 23 February 2003) was an American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor. In 1994 he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his contributions to the field and for having founded the sociology of science. He is considered a founding father of modern sociology.
Merton developed notable concepts such as "unintended consequences", the "reference group", and "role strain", but is perhaps best known for the terms "role model" and "self-fulfilling prophecy". A central element of modern sociological, political, and economic theory, the "self-fulfilling prophecy" is a process whereby a belief or expectation, correct or incorrect, affects the outcome of a situation or the way a person or group will behave.
Merton's work on the "role model" first appeared in a study on the socialization of medical students at Columbia University. The term grew from his theory of the reference group, the group to which individuals compare themselves but to which they do not necessarily belong. Social roles were central to Merton's theory of social groups. Merton emphasized that, rather than a person assuming one role and one status, they have a status set in the social structure that has, attached to it, a whole set of expected behaviors.
Robert K. Merton was born on 4 July 1910 in Philadelphia as Meyer Robert Schkolnick into a family of Yiddish-speaking Russian Jews who had immigrated to the United States in 1904. His mother was Ida Rasovskaya, an "unsynagogued" socialist who had freethinking radical sympathies. His father was Aaron Schkolnickoff, a tailor who had officially been registered at his United States port of entry as "Harrie Skolnick". Merton's family lived in straitened circumstances after his father’s uninsured dairy-product shop in South Philadelphia burned down. The father later became a carpenter’s assistant to support the family. Even though Merton grew up fairly poor, however, he believed that he had been afforded many opportunities.
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