According to Robert Merton's typology, what classification would best fit drug dealers?

In Robert Merton's strain theory, individuals respond to the pressures of society in various ways, which he categorized into five distinct types. Drug dealers are best classified as innovators because they create alternative means to achieve culturally approved goals, particularly wealth and success, but do so through illicit or unconventional methods.

In many societies, success is often equated with financial gain or material possessions. Drug dealers reject the legitimate avenues (such as education and stable employment) that are typically used to achieve these goals. Instead, they find innovative ways to generate income outside of societal norms, often engaging in illegal activities. This innovation signifies their ability to adapt to the limitations imposed by societal structures, representing a diversion from traditional pathways to success.

This classification highlights the essence of their actions as a response to the strain or pressure from societal expectations. The other classifications don’t capture the essence of what drug dealers do: conformists adhere to societal norms, ritualists abandon the goals but maintain the rituals, and rebels reject the existing societal structure in a way that seeks to create an entirely different system rather than adopting innovative illegal practices for personal gain.