Deck 9: Connections: Understanding Doping in Elite Sports Through Anomie and General Strain Perspectives, Tammy Landerson

Question 1

According to Anderson, Merton would likely explain doping among elite athletes as ______.

A)Edgework
B)A result of pursuing the cultural goal to win and break records
C)A result of emotional strain
D)A form of resistance against the organization of professional sports

Answer 1

A result of pursuing the cultural goal to win and break records

Question 2

According to Anderson, Merton and Hagedorn's approaches differ in that_______.

A)Merton is focused on face-to-face interaction, while Hagedorn on social structure
B)Merton is focused on deviance among racial minorities
C)Hagedorn's approach empathizes blocked opportunities to underclass minorities
D)None of the above

Answer 2

Hagedorn's approach empathizes blocked opportunities to underclass minorities

Question 3

According to Agnew's GST, elite athletes resort to doping because ______.

A)They have to conform to the grand cultural goal of success and excellence
B)They experience pressures from coaches, family, friends, and their supporters
C)They want to challenge the dominant power structure of professional sports
D)None of the above

Answer 3

They experience pressures from coaches, family, friends, and their supporters

Question 4

According to Anderson, Merton and Agnew's approaches differ in that ______.

A)Agnew's is more focused on the impacts of emotional factors on the individuals
B)Agnew denies the discrepancy between goals and means as the major cause of deviance
C)Agnew's approach is focused on the community level of deviance
D)None of the above

Question 5

In this reading, Anderson uses the more structural theory of anomie AND the more individual-level GST to explain doping in professional sports.Which level of explanation do you think is more convincing and useful in reducing this type of deviance? Take a position and justify it with information from the readings in Section 3.