Durkheim – Crime, Anomie, and Social Solidarity

What did Durkheim mean when he said crime is “normal”?

Crime exists in all societies and plays a functional role by reinforcing social norms and enabling social change.

What is the “conscience collective”?

The shared moral values and sentiments of a society that define what is considered criminal.

What is anomie in Durkheim’s theory?

A state of normlessness that arises during rapid social change when moral regulation breaks down.

What are Durkheim’s two types of social solidarity?

Mechanical (based on similarity and tradition) and Organic (based on interdependence in complex societies).

What are the four types of suicide Durkheim identified?

Egoistic, Altruistic, Anomic, Fatalistic.

Egoistic

Too little integration (e.g., single people).

Altruistic

Too much integration (e.g., military suicides).

Anomic

• Too little regulation (e.g., during economic crises).

Fatalistic

Too much regulation (e.g., slaves).

4 features of modernity

• Industrialization

  • Increase in production driven by the mechanization of labour & the use of inanimate energy

• Urbanization

  • Increase in proportion of total human population living in major cities vs. rural areas

• Secularization

  • The social, cultural, and political significance of religion diminishes

• Division of labour

  • Increase in occupational differentiation

anomie in The Division Of Labour In Society 

a breakdown of moral regulation caused by rapid specialization and weakened collective norms in modern industrial societies.

anomie in Suicide

anomie is a psychological state

4 deviant adaptations

innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion

Empirical Indicators & Concept

This refers to the observable signs that a neighborhood is socially disorganized. These indicators help sociologists measure and identify zones in transition.

Common empirical indicators include:

• High residential turnover

• Ethnic heterogeneity

• Poverty and unemployment

• Weak family structures

• Low school performance

• High crime rates