As was said in the initial exposition of the theory, “monetary
success was taken as a major cultural goal only “for purposes of simplifying
the problem…although there are, of course, alternative goals in the repository
of common values.” (211) In terms of the general conception, any cultural
goals which receive extreme and only negligibly qualified emphasis in the
culture of a group will serve to attenuate the emphasis on institutionalized
practices and make for anomie (1968, p. 235).