In a 1938 10 - page article entitled " Social Structure and Anomie, " Robert K Merton started a rich theoretical tradition that still maintains an important place in criminology. The Chicago School theorists built on Durkheim ' s notion of social integration and the need to control human appetites; Merton also borrowed heavily ( and more explicitly ) from Durkheim in particular, he applied Durkheim's concepts of industrial prosperity and anomie to the context of the United States. The most prominent idea that Merton borrowed was that institutionalized norms can be weakened in societies that place an intense value on economic success.