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Middle-range theory, developed by Robert K. Merton, is an approach to sociological theorizing aimed at integrating theory and empirical research. It is currently the de facto dominant approach to sociological theory construction, [1] especially in the United States. Middle-range theory starts with an empirical phenomenon (as opposed to a broad ...
Merton's extensive research highlighted a complementarity between puritanical Protestant beliefs and science, which developed rapidly in the seventeenth century. [18] Merton believed that middle range theories bypassed the failures of larger theories, which are too distant from observing social behavior in a particular social setting. [19]
The Free Press) Social Theory and Social Structure (STSS) was a landmark publication in sociology by Robert K. Merton. It has been translated into close to 20 languages and is one of the most frequently cited texts in social sciences. [1] It was first published in 1949, although revised editions of 1957 and 1968 are often cited.
Merton tended to emphasize middle range theory rather than a grand theory, meaning that he was able to deal specifically with some of the limitations in Parsons' thinking. Merton believed that any social structure probably has many functions, some more obvious than others. [ 1 ]
Cumulative inequality theory. Cumulative inequality theory or cumulative disadvantage theory is the systematic explanation of how inequalities develop. The theory was initially developed by Merton in 1988, [1] who studied the sciences and prestige. He believed that recognition from peers, and from published research in the scientific field ...
Analytical sociology can be seen as contemporary incarnation of Robert K. Merton's well-known notion of middle-range theory. The analytical approach is founded on the premise that proper explanations detail the "cogs and wheels" through which social outcomes are brought about, and it is driven by a commitment to realism.
Sociologist Robert K. Merton argued that sociological theory deals with social mechanisms, which are essential in exemplifying the 'middle ground' between social law and description. [7]: 43–4 Merton believed these social mechanisms to be "social processes having designated consequences for designated parts of the social structure." [8]
This approach lends itself to what Robert K. Merton called middle-range theory: abstract statements that generalize from segregated hypotheses and empirical regularities rather than starting with an abstract idea of a social whole. [76]