Which deviant adaptation describes rejecting both the goals and the means?

• A. Innovation
• B. Ritualism
• C. Rebellion
• D. Retreatism

Answer: (D)

Retreatism is about rejecting both the goals society says you should strive for and the accepted ways to achieve them, so the person withdraws from mainstream life. In Merton’s framework, this mode shows up when individuals give up on measuring up to social success and also abandon the legitimate paths to get there, often resulting in a withdrawn or marginal lifestyle.

For contrast, another pattern involves pursuing goals but using unconventional means (innovation), or sticking to the means without aiming for the goals (ritualism). Rebellion, while it also rejects the current goals and means, seeks to replace them with an alternative system. The key with retreatism is the withdrawal from both the accepted aims and the accepted routes.