Fame and strain: the contributions of Mertonian deviance theory to an understanding of the relationship between celebrity and deviant behavior

This paper argues that Merton's original means/goals gap theory can be used to understand the emerging relationship between deviant behavior and the acquisition of celebrity status. The intent is to illuminate how forms of deviant behavior have become adaptive responses to the structurally anomic conditions that have resulted from popular culture's incessant emphasis on the desirability of fame and celebrity status, and the structurally limited means by which it can be legitimately achieved. Merton's original forms of adaptation-innovation, retreatism, rebellion, and ritualism-are explored in relation to this increasingly important phenomenon.