<P> Merton argued that general strain theory is developed by this blockage in an individual's life which doesn't allow them to achieve their goal, essentially leading to deviant behaviour . Merton uses the progress of achieving the' American Dream' as an example . If an individual can't achieve this, it can prove frustrating for the individual and may lead to breaking free into illegal escape routes or anger - based delinquency . This theory has many criticisms as it doesn't factor in an individual's social class as someone as a lower socio - economic level might not be striving to achieving the' American Dream' meaning they don't need to carry out illegal acts . This also creates the idea that only people that fall under the bracket of the lower socio - economic are the only ones that will become a criminal and people that have achieved the' American Dream' won't which is simply incorrect . </P> <P> Merton argues that the central orientation of functionalism is in interpreting data by their consequences for larger structures in which they are implicated . Like Durkheim and Parsons he analyzes society with reference to whether cultural and social structures are well or badly integrated . Merton is also interested in the persistence of societies and defines functions that make for the adaptation of a given social system . He believed that the way these early functionalists put emphasis (vice "emphasize") on functions of one social structure or institution for another, created bias when focusing only on adaptation or adjustment because they would always have a positive consequence . Finally, Merton thinks that shared values are central in explaining how societies and institutions work, however he disagrees with Parsons on some issues . </P> <P> According to Merton's perception of "functionalism", all standardized social and cultural beliefs and practices are functional for both society as a whole as well as individuals in society . This outlook maintains that various parts of social systems must show a high level of integration, but Merton argues that a generalization like this cannot be extended to larger, more complex societies . The second claim has to do with universal functionalism . This claim argues that all standardized social and cultural structures and forms have a positive function . Merton argues that this is a contradiction to what is seen in the real world; not every structure, idea, belief, etc., has positive functions . The third claim of functional analysis that Merton argues with is that of indispensability . This claim states that the standardized parts of society have positive functions, and also represent indispensable parts of the working whole, which implies that structures and functions are functionally necessary for society . Here, Merton argues, people must be willing to admit that there exist various structural and functional alternatives within society . </P> <P> His belief in empirical testing led to the development of his "paradigm" of functional analysis . According to Merton, "paradigm", refers to "exemplars of codified basic and often tacit assumptions, problem sets, key concepts, logic of procedure, and selectively accumulated knowledge that guide (theoretical and empirical) inquiry in all scientific fields". In terms of structural functionalism, Merton felt that the focus should be on social functions rather than on individual motives . </P>

Who has given the concept of functional alternatives
find me the text answering this question