Anomie Theory and Its Applicability in Research on Late Marriage in Vietnam

Abstract

This article systematises and analyses the foundational concepts of anomie and deviance through the perspectives of three representative scholars: Émile Durkheim, Robert K. Merton, and Howard S. Becker. Durkheim conceptualises anomie as a state of structural disorder in which society loses its capacity to regulate behavior and orient individual aspirations. Merton emphasises the strain between culturally prescribed goals and institutionally legitimate means, leading to five modes of individual adaptation. Becker approaches deviance from a process-oriented perspective, viewing it as the outcome of social definition and labeling, whilst highlighting the role of social interaction and mechanisms of personal identity protection. Based on this theoretical foundation, the study opens up prospects for explaining late marriage in Vietnam, a phenomenon increasingly perceived as “deviant” due to tensions between traditional norms and the pressures of modern life. The discussion provides an analytical framework for understanding the mechanisms underlying the formation of deviant behavior, thereby contributing to the redefinition of transformations in individual behavior and the social identity of young people.