SOC 168 Test Two (Durkheim)

tangible, intangible

1. Material Social Facts:

These are BLANK, physical elements that exist in the external environment and can be observed directly. They are part of the social structure and include institutions, laws, and formal norms that shape behavior.

• Examples:

  • Legal Systems: Written laws, court systems, and police forces that regulate behavior.

  • Institutions: Government buildings, schools, religious organizations, and economic systems.

  • Demographic Features: Population density, urbanization patterns, and architecture.

2. Non-Material Social Facts:

These are BLANK elements that exist within the collective consciousness of a society. They influence behavior through shared beliefs, values, norms, and morals, even though they cannot be physically touched.

• Examples:

  • Morality: Shared concepts of right and wrong within a culture.

  • Collective Consciousness: The set of shared beliefs, ideas, and moral attitudes that operate as a unifying force within society.

  • Cultural Norms: Traditions, customs, and etiquette (e.g., shaking hands as a greeting).

  • Religious Beliefs: Faith systems and spiritual ideologies that guide behavior.

Non-material social facts are crucial because they deeply influence social cohesion and how individuals perceive the world.

modern, interdependence, repressive, restitutive

Aspect	Mechanical Solidarity	Organic Solidarity

Type of Society

Traditional, small, homogeneous

BLANK, complex, diverse

Basis of Cohesion

Shared values, beliefs, collective conscience

BLANK through division of labor

Legal System

BLANK law (punitive)

BLANK law (restorative/compensatory)

View of Crime

Threat to social unity

Disruption of social function or contract

Example

Tribal society, medieval village

Industrial city, modern nation-state

anomic, poorly coordinated, forced

Pathological Forms of Division of Labor

1. BLANK Division of Labor

   • Issue: Lack of clear norms leads to alienation and instability.

   • Cause: Rapid change, weak regulations.

   • Example: Employees feeling lost in companies with constant restructuring.

2. BLANK Division of Labor

   • Issue: Inefficiency due to disorganized roles and poor communication.

   • Cause: Overlapping duties, lack of coordination.

   • Example: Healthcare systems with mismanaged responsibilities.

3. BLANK Division of Labor

   • Issue: Roles assigned by coercion or inequality, not merit.

   • Cause: Class systems, discrimination.

   • Example: Caste-based job restrictions or nepotism in companies.

egoistic, altruistic, anomic, fatalistic

• BLANK: Too little connection/low social integration → isolation.

• BLANK: Too much connection/high social integration → self-sacrifice.

• BLANK: Too little moral regulation → normlessness.

• BLANK: Too much moral regulation → oppression

dynamic density, specialization, social integration

BLANK refers to the growth in population and social interactions, leading to challenges like:

• Conflict over resources

• Anomie (normlessness)

• Inefficiency in coordination

• Overcrowding stress

How Are These Problems Solved?

1. BLANK (Division of Labor): Reduces competition, creates interdependence.

2. New Norms & Institutions: Laws and cultural norms maintain order.

3. BLANK: Education, religion, and media promote shared values.

4. Regulation & Governance: Policies and bureaucracy manage complexity.

morality, occupation associations

• BLANK: Social rules that ensure cohesion through discipline, attachment, and autonomy. It adapts as societies evolve.

• BLANK: Groups like unions or guilds that:

  • Foster solidarity beyond family or state

  • Regulate ethical standards in work

  • Provide moral education on fairness and cooperation

collective conscience, social facts

• BLANK: Shared beliefs and values that unite a society.

• BLANK: External forces (laws, customs) that shape individual behavior.

Scientific Sociology

Durkheim argued sociology should be studied scientifically, treating social facts as observable and measurable. By using empirical data, sociology could uncover patterns and causal relationships.

Durkheim established sociology as a scientific discipline by focusing on social facts that influence behavior

dorms, high suicide rates, unions

Q: What are some of the working conditions at Foxconn?
A: Workers live in BLANK with 7 strangers, face BLANK, low pay, and lack of American-style BLANK

society

Q: What is Durkheim's fundamental question in sociology?
A: Durkheim asks how BLANK functions and how it shapes individuals.

organic solidarity

Q: What is a key idea from Durkheim's Division of Labor in Society?
A: The division of labor in modern societies creates BLANK, where people are interdependent.

external, coercive

Q: How does Durkheim connect social facts to sociology?
A: Social facts are BLANK, BLANK forces (like laws and norms) that shape individual behavior and are studied scientifically.

Montesquieu, Rousseau, Comte, Marx

Q: Who influenced Durkheim's ideas on sociology?
A: Durkheim was influenced by BLANK, BLANK, BLANK, BLANK

greater

Q: What does Durkheim mean by sui generis in the context of society?
A: Society is a reality in itself, BLANK than just the sum of its individual parts.

norms, morality

Q: What are non-material social facts?
A: Non-material social facts include BLANK and BLANK, which can be measured but are not physical.

egoism

Q: How does Durkheim view individualism?
A: Durkheim sees individualism as problematic because it can lead to BLANK, which disrupts social cohesion.

disorganization

Q: How does Durkheim view economic depression?
A: Durkheim sees economic depression as a social force that leads to BLANK and anxiety in society.

social structures

Q: How did Durkheim view social change?
A: Durkheim believed that BLANK should evolve gradually to prevent disorganizing effects. He opposed radical revolution.

social order

Q: What is the social function of religion, according to Durkheim?
A: Religion maintains BLANK by creating shared beliefs, reinforcing collective norms, and fostering group solidarity.

totemism

Q: What is BLANK and why is it important in Durkheim’s work?
A: The simplest form of religion, where clans worship a totem (an animal, plant, or symbol) representing both the divine and the society itself, illustrating how religion reflects social structures.

individualistic

Q: How does the strength of the collective conscience change in modern societies?

A: It becomes weaker and more diverse as societies become more BLANK, but cohesion is maintained through legal systems and interdependence

positivist

Q: What is Durkheim’s BLANK approach to sociology?
A: Sociology should be studied like the natural sciences, using empirical observation, data collection, and objective analysis to uncover social laws.

other social facts

Q: What is Durkheim’s rule for explaining social facts?
A: Social facts should be explained by BLANK, not by psychological or biological causes.

collective conscience

Q: Why is the shift from repressive to restitutive law significant?
A: It reflects the evolution from traditional societies with strong BLANK to modern societies with complex divisions of labor.

crime

Q: Why did Durkheim argue that BLANK is normal in society?
A: Crime exists in all societies and serves important functions:

1. Reinforces collective values by defining what is unacceptable.

2. Promotes social change by challenging outdated norms.

3. Encourages solidarity when communities unite against deviance.

determinism, consensus bias, eurocentrism

What are common critiques of Durkheim’s theories?

1. BLANK: Overemphasis on society’s power over the individual, neglecting personal agency.

2. BLANK: Focus on social cohesion may ignore conflict and inequality.

3. BLANK: Generalizes from Western societies without considering diverse cultural contexts.

rituals

Q: What role do BLANK play in society, according to Durkheim?
A: They reinforce collective beliefs, renew social bonds, and strengthen the connection between individuals and the collective conscience

collective effervescence

Q: How does Durkheim explain the emotional power of religious rituals?
A: Through BLANK—the heightened energy and sense of belonging people feel when participating in shared rituals.