Anomie Theory

Durkheim's Anomie

Durkheim coined the term anomie to explain patterns and prevalence of suicide. He theorized that the major cause of anomie in society was the breakdown of the social systems. Durkheim, taking an evolutionary approach, argued that the breakdown of social systems occurs when social structure is in a process of transition. Thus, the condition of normlessness breaks down the social order that guides peoples' behaviors, which might result in suicide. In such a morally deregulated condition, individuals cannot integrate without social and moral signs to guide them. For Durkheim, anomie occurs usually after an abrupt social, economic, or political change within a given society. As he contends, such an abrupt change inevitably impairs the collective conscience of society with regard to norms and values. During this time of structural transition, individuals are not sure of the moral laws that constrain them. Durkheim's argument is that the loosening of the bonds between social values is the root source of social disorder. During social and economic changes in transition periods, existing norms and values are insufficient to regulate and organize life in the new form of society.

Durkheim indicated that crime plays a positive role in society through reaffirming bonds among the noncriminal population; for example, when crime strengthens collective conscience by the creation of boundaries for human behavior defined by imposing sanctions on deviants. Durkheim viewed crime as a normal functioning force behind social change, and it is, therefore, important in every society. His perspective on the source of anomie took a holistic approach and was based on three postulates of functional analysis that overlooked normal societies' mechanisms to explain social pathology. While Durkheim contends that the phenomenon of deviancy is as much of an aspect of society as conformity, Merton argues that society should have more social control over it. That is, crime is the form of social deviancy that makes the meaning of integrated and conformist society understandable for us.

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