Chapter 3 - Emile Durkheim and social cohesion

What is Durkheim’s central question?

How social order is possible, especially in modern societies where traditional bonds are weakening.

What is Durkheim’s main concern about modern society?

That rapid social change can weaken shared norms and lead to instability (anomie).

What type of sociologist is Durkheim?

A positivist and structural functionalist who studies society as an objective system.

What does Durkheim mean by “social facts”?

Ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside individuals and exert control over them.

Why should social facts be treated as “things”?

Because they are external, measurable, and can be studied scientifically like objects.

Give examples of social facts.

Laws, norms, customs, religion, and suicide rates.

How do social facts constrain individuals?

They shape behavior through expectations, rules, and social pressure.

What is the difference between sociology and psychology for Durkheim?

Sociology studies social facts (external structures), while psychology studies individual minds.

What is social structure?

Stable patterns of behavior and relationships that organize society.

What is socialization in Durkheim’s theory?

The process through which individuals learn norms and values necessary for social life.

Why is socialization necessary?

Because humans have unlimited desires and need moral regulation to function in society.

What is solidarity?

The social bonds that hold society together.

What are the two types of solidarity?

Mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity.

What is mechanical solidarity?

A type of cohesion in traditional societies based on similarity and shared beliefs.

What characterizes societies with mechanical solidarity?

Low division of labour, strong collective conscience, and similarity among individuals.

What is organic solidarity?

A type of cohesion in modern societies based on interdependence and specialization.

What characterizes societies with organic solidarity?

High division of labour, weaker shared beliefs, and strong functional interdependence.

What is the collective conscience?

The set of shared beliefs and moral values that bind people together.

How does the collective conscience differ between traditional and modern societies?

It is strong and dominant in traditional societies, but weaker and more diverse in modern ones.

What is the division of labour in Durkheim’s theory?

The specialization of tasks that increases efficiency and creates interdependence.

Why does division of labour increase?

Because population growth and competition push people to specialize

How does division of labour create social order?

By making people dependent on each other for different functions.

What is repressive law?

Law that punishes violations harshly, typical of societies with mechanical solidarity.

What is repressive law?

Law that punishes violations harshly, typical of societies with mechanical solidarity.

What is restitutive law?

Law that aims to restore normal relations rather than punish, typical of modern societies.

Why does law change as society changes?

Because different forms of solidarity require different ways of maintaining order.

What is anomie?

A condition where norms are weak, unclear, or absent, leading to lack of moral guidance.

What causes anomie?

Rapid social change, economic crises, or breakdown of regulation.

Why is anomie dangerous?

Because individuals lose direction and may experience instability or despair.

What is Durkheim’s definition of crime?

Behavior that violates social norms.

Why does Durkheim say crime is normal?

Because it exists in all societies and helps define moral boundaries.

What function does crime serve?

It reinforces social norms and can promote social change.

How can crime lead to social change?

Because actions once considered deviant can later become accepted.

What is Durkheim’s view of morality?

Morality is social and necessary to regulate behavior and maintain cohesion.

What role does society play in morality?

Society creates and enforces moral rules that guide individuals.

What is religion according to Durkheim?

A social institution that reinforces shared beliefs and social cohesion.

What is the sacred?

Things set apart as special and worthy of respect.

What is the profane?

Ordinary, everyday aspects of life

What is the function of religion?

To strengthen social bonds and express the collective conscience

What does Durkheim mean when he says religion reflects society?

Religious beliefs and rituals symbolize and reinforce social unity.

What are intermediate groups?

Groups between the individual and the state, such as families or communities.

Why are intermediate groups important?

They provide moral guidance and strengthen social integration.

What is social integration?

The degree to which individuals are connected to social groups.

What is social regulation?

The degree to which society controls and guides behavior through norms.

What is Durkheim’s study of suicide about?

Showing that even highly individual acts can be explained by social factors.

What is egoistic suicide?

Suicide caused by low social integration, ex. protestants

What is altruistic suicide?

Suicide caused by excessive social integration, ex. kamikaze

What is anomic suicide?

Suicide caused by low regulation and breakdown of norms, ex. during financial crisis.

What is fatalistic suicide?

Suicide caused by excessive regulation and oppression, ex. suicide cults.

What determines suicide rates according to Durkheim?

Levels of integration and regulation in society.

What is Durkheim’s view on individual freedom?

True freedom comes from moral regulation, not absence of rules

What is the role of institutions in Durkheim’s theory?

They maintain order by reinforcing norms and values.

Why is Durkheim associated with structural functionalism?

Because he sees society as a system where each part contributes to stability.

What is a key limitation of Durkheim’s theory?

It underestimates conflict, inequality, and power differences.

What is Durkheim’s main explanation for social order?

Shared norms, moral regulation, and interdependence between individuals.

What is agency?

The capacity of individuals to act, make choices, and influence their own lives.

What is structure?

The stable social patterns (norms, institutions, roles) that shape and constrain individual behaviour.

How does Durkheim view agency vs structure?

He emphasizes structure, arguing that social forces shape individuals more than individuals shape society.

What does “structure reproducing itself” mean?

Social patterns continue over time because individuals act according to existing norms and institutions.

What does “agency producing structure” mean?

Individuals’ actions can create or change social structures, though Durkheim sees this as limited

What is the key tension in sociology between agency and structure?

Whether human behavior is primarily shaped by individual choice or by social forces.

What causes division of labour according to Durkheim?

Population growth and increased interaction (dynamic density).

What is dynamic density?

The increase in population and social interaction that intensifies competition and drives specialization.

Why does division of labour reduce conflict?

Because people become dependent on each other instead of competing for the same roles.

What is social cohesion?

The degree to which members of a society are connected, integrated, and live together peacefully.

What are the two indicators of cohesion?

Violence (order vs disorder) and detachment (connectedness vs isolation).

Why is violence used as an indicator of cohesion?

Because lower violence suggests stronger social order and stability.

Why is detachment used as an indicator of cohesion?

Because higher social isolation suggests weaker integration and weaker social bonds.

What does “connectedness vs detachment” measure?

How strongly individuals are integrated into social relationships and groups.

Violence:

• Crime

• Suicide

Detachment:

• Membership of voluntary organisations

• Marriage and divorce

Rules of the sociological method:

• Limited space for individuality

• Social existence = absolute precondition for people

• Social facts (laws, traditions, customs) continue to exist, where individuals die and new people are born.

Durkheim: society is an organic whole

• Causal explanations are insufficient (only partial explanations), we need a functionalist explanation

• Functional analysis - what are the consequences of a social fact fot the whole system

What characterises a strongly connected society?

Low violence and strong social integration.

What characterizes a loosely connected society?

Weak social ties and higher detachment between individuals.

What does “confirms the status quo” mean?

It tends to justify existing social arrangements instead of questioning them.