Final answer:
Robert Merton's strain theory suggests that societal pressure to achieve material success can lead individuals, who lack socially acceptable means, to deviate from societal norms and potentially engage in deviant behavior to reach their goals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sociologist Robert Merton's strain theory addresses the societal pressure to achieve material success, particularly in American society. Merton argued that when individuals are unable to achieve wealth through socially acceptable means due to inequality or lack of opportunity, they may feel pressured to resort to deviant behavior to achieve their goals. This can manifest in different responses, including innovation where someone might embezzle funds to start a business, or retreatism, where people abandon both the goals and the means by giving up on success altogether. The allure of material wealth and the success stories of historical figures like John D. Rockefeller, who benefited from business integration models, reaffirm the idea that financial success is an ultimate goal to strive for within society.