The structural functionalism was the dominant theory for the first half of the twentieth century and had the greatest amount of sway in explaining deviant behavior.

Durkheim went further with this theory, saying that morals (norms, values, and laws) that individuals are taught constrain their behavior.

Durkheim was also concerned about anomie, which is people partially losing their sense of belonging to their communities and the norms and expectations of their groups were becoming less clearly defined.
The structural perspective locates the root cause of crime and deviance outside of individuals in the invisible social structures that make up any society.
Groups with access to greater power, political, and economic opportunity may define their acts as legitimate and the acts of others as deviant, at the same time as they corruptly use their power to their own advantage.
Robert Merton claimed that contradictions are implicit in which the culture dictates success goals for all citizens, while the institutional access is limited to just the middle and upper strata. Merton says the anomie results from the lack of access to culturally prescribed goals and the lack of availability of legitimate means for attaining those goals.

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