Explanation:

- Option 1: R. Merton

- Correctly known for developing Strain Theory.

- Argued deviance results from a gap between cultural goals and the institutionalized means to achieve them.

- Explains different responses to societal pressures, such as innovation or rebellion.

- This is the correct answer.

- Option 2: Emile Durkheim

- Known for his work on functionalism and the concept of anomie.

- Suggested that deviance is a natural and necessary part of society.

- Option 3: Auguste Comte

- Often called the father of sociology.

- Known for positivism, not for theories on deviance specifically.

- Option 4: Talcott Parsons

- A major figure in functionalist theory.

- Focused on social systems and structures, not directly on the gap causing deviance.