Which term describes a state where there is a mismatch between societal goals and the legitimate means to achieve them?

• A. Anomie
• B. Alienation
• C. Strain
• D. Conflict

Answer: (A)

Anomie captures a society-wide breakdown of norms and social regulation, where the goals a culture values are not matched by the legitimate ways to achieve them. When such a mismatch arises—goals pushed higher but the accepted means constrained or unclear—people lose clear guidelines for how to act, leading to normlessness and social instability. This state describes the situation described in the question: a clash between what society wants and how people are allowed to pursue it.

Brief note on alternatives: alienation focuses on personal estrangement from work or society, not the breakdown of shared norms. Strain is the pressure arising from a goal–means gap, but anomie describes the broader breakdown of normative order that can result from that mismatch. Conflict centers on power struggles between groups, not the erosion of norms.