Durkheim's Anomie

In his book, The Division of Labor in Society, published in 1893, French sociologist Emile Durkheim introduced the concept anomie as "a state where norms (expectations on behaviors) are confused, unclear or not present" and therefore, result in higher rates of crime, suicide and deviance (Hewett). Anomie occurs during times of rapid social change - either negative or positive, when the circumstances of the division of labor become abnormal, and "under which otherwise contiguous organs become separated, thus preventing the adequate development of rules of conduct" (Jones). In order to truly understand the conditions under which anomie occurs, however, it is useful to first examine Durkheim's view of social order.

The sources of social order and disorder were central themes in Durkheim's work. Durkheim believed that humans control their self-interests and desires by "a common social bond that is expressed by the ideas, values, norms, beliefs and ideologies of the cultures, institutionalized in the social structure, and internalized by individual members of the culture" - an external force Durkheim characterizes as the collective conscience (Elwell). In The Division of Labor, Durkheim identifies two forms of solidarity - mechanical and organic.

Mechanical solidarity typically occurs in simplistic, traditional societies where there is little division of labor and the norms, values, and beliefs of the society are so homogenous that they confront individuals w

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Category: Philosophy - D