ipl-logo

Sociological Theory Of Emile Durkheim

955 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Functionalist perspective in sociology

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) commonly known as the founder of modern sociology was a functionalist. He insisted a lot on making Sociology as a recognised subject in university. He was sure that with the introduction of this subject, France which was his homeland would be capable of fighting the moral crisis (loss of morality) spreading among all the country. All this moral crisis was leading to threat to social solidarity and stability. Durkheim's theory regarding social facts particularly show the difference between Sociology with any relatively similiar subject such as Psychology or Philosophy. Social facts could be divided in two, material or immaterial. What interested Durkheim most was the study of immaterial social facts which include …show more content…

The primitive society and the industrial society. In a primitive society, there was less economic specialization. Social cohesion was a must for the individual or else he/she could be easily excluded from it. There were no 'segments' within the society and no variation within the society was present. This can still be seen in certain tribes still present in the African continent. Durkheim referred to this relation within these societies as 'mechanical solidarity'. This type of solidarity forces people to think and act alike. On the other hand, in industrialised societies of the modern day, there are plenty of segments present and although this society is built up on the attraction of the opposites, where individuals have more specified roles, the society works fine. The increase in economic specialization caused this. Durkheim refers to this as 'organic solidarity'. In organic solidarity, individuals are required to think and act differently from each other in a way that everyone depends on each other and thus a stronger bond is …show more content…

Therefore this shows that the individuals belong to the society. Another function of religion is meaning and purpose. This means that the beliefs imposed by the religion give hope, comfort and security to the whole of society. Lastly, another important role of religion is social control due to the fact that the majority of the norms and values in society are in accordance to the religious beliefs. Therefore, a 'criminal' individual will not only be breaking social norms but also violating religious values. In this way, Durkheim expresses how religion plays an important part in helping society form the

Show More
Related

Sociological Analysis: Sucker Free City Directed By Spike Lee

1462 Words | 6 Pages

Sociological Analysis is where the focus is on social relationships, the examination of human interactions and personal relationships of an a group of individuals in a social setting. The concern of a sociological analysis is how groups and institutions function. Emile Durkheim is an important sociologist theorist and one of the founding fathers of French sociology. Durkheim offers an interesting insight on individuals and society. Emile Durkheim believes that everyone is “double”, meaning that we are all members of society and there society is in us.

Read More

Emile Durkheim Vs Baraka

878 Words | 4 Pages

While Durkheim calls modern society a disconnective collectiveness conscience, because everyone depends on themselves. Durkheim called the progress from traditional to modern society a “natural evolutionary progression.” He

Read More

How Does Abortion Affect America Today

442 Words | 2 Pages

Abortion one of the most controversial issues, its ongoing controversy continues to affect America today. The movement includes two dominant sides, “pro-choice”: those who are for the option of abortion or not and “pro-life”: those who are against abortion. The debate has trespassed over many territories including political, ethical, and moral. Though the area is of little comfort there are many positives that could potentially follow the debate and conversation. Abortion in ancient times was practiced to control gender, population, and property rights of patriarchies.

Read More

Durkheim's Conception Of Society

1671 Words | 7 Pages

It is based on the foundation that humans are inherently social creatures, and so, have a need to form social bonds and interconnected relationships. Those bonds are realized through a common set of shared beliefs, values, and ideas to create what he called a collective consciousness (Durkheim, 1933). This common conscience in turn is held by all members of a society, and has its own laws independent of individual conscience (Morrison, 1995). In other words, there is a shared set of values which is unique to the society, and which is instilled in all members of that society, regardless of their individual expression of those values, thereby devaluing the influence of free-will. Thus, because the impetus to form a society stems from the most basic human instinct, Durkheim believes that individuals have a passive role in shaping it, because it is driven from animalistic drive, and programmed within humans at the biological level.

Read More

What Is Marx, Durkheim And Weber's Similarities To Evaluate The Causes Of Social Interaction?

787 Words | 4 Pages

Collective conscience is Durkheim’s understanding of social cohesion. Durkheim’s collective conscience originated in the communal interactions and experiences of members of a society, not explained by individual

Read More

Durkheim's Theory Of Police Brutality

1216 Words | 5 Pages

Where everyone is depending on individuals this is the driving force of modern society and there are rules that need to be followed to create order. The link to organic solidarity is connected to the division of labor and helps find solution to the struggle of anomie. This is a society that has many different kinds of perspective per individuals and creates a self-center environment for everyone. Durkheim’s thoughts were to collect the rights ideas in controlling human needs because the laws would be either to strict or to relaxed and this would create the process of anomie. He also mentioned that the strict rules would be the start problems because of forced division of labor that would happen when the lower classes were unhappy with the positions they were put into.

Read More

Karl Marx And Emile Durkheim: The Father Of Sociology

855 Words | 4 Pages

Moreover, at the time understudied, there were also tensions between France and Germany, which ultimately culminated with the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and ended with the humiliation of France and the annexation of the resource-rich region of Alsace-Lorraine. Understanding the historical context in which Durkheim found himself is of crucial importance as the events he witnessed funnelled his thoughts towards particular questions, more specifically: what is the glue that holds society together? Indeed, one of the most significant claims made by Durkheim was the proposal of the notion of ‘Social Facts’. These ‘facts’ are all the entities that constitute a society; norms, beliefs, ideas, religion, the economy, politics, etc., concepts and institutions which are all inter-related

Read More

Durkheim And Rousseau Analysis

1624 Words | 7 Pages

The Creation of Society Through the Lens of Durkheim and Rousseau There are various theories across the spectrum of the social sciences that address the birth of society. The focus of this essay will be on two French sociologists, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Émile Durkheim who share different ideas of how the creation of society came about. Durkheim was a functionalist who has very fundamental views on the formation of society. Durkheim theorizes that society is natural and happens through shared experiences. He believes that society makes the individual “whole” by providing them with knowledge.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Karl Marx And Emile Durkheim

992 Words | 4 Pages

Emile Durkheim thought that society was multifaceted system of consistent and co-dependent parts that work together to maintain stability. One important thing that Durkheim believed held society together was social facts. He thought that social facts consisted of feeling, acting, and thinking externally from the person and coercive power over that person. These things could include social institutions, rules, values, and norms. They have control over an individual’s life.

Read More

Karl Marx And Emile Durkheim's Conflict Theory

1145 Words | 5 Pages

Holly Kinsella 13528163 Q.2 Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim developed very different sociological theories of how society evolves over time. Marx brought around the conflict theory and became the head of the sociological discipline of Marxism. Durkheim was a French Functionalist, meaning he looked at society in a scientific way. Although Marx and Durkheim had different ways of thinking about society, both have contributed significantly to the way we study sociology today. Karl Marx was a German philosopher who became the head of the sociological discipline of Marxism.

Read More

Karl Marx And Emile Durkheim's Theory Of Capitalism

846 Words | 4 Pages

In their theories both highlight the division of labour and alienation as methods and results of maintaining control within a capitalist society. Durkheim coined the term social facts to describe the external and internal forces that habilitate individuals within a society. “….” . Social facts include values, cultural norms, and social structures comprise those sources that

Read More

Durkheim Sociology

1624 Words | 7 Pages

As society transitions towards a more specialized division of social labor, it can result in the social exclusion of some occupational subgroups that create their own collective consciousness not consistent with that of society. Without direct reference to conflict in society, Durkheim does indicate the possibility of breakdown of social integration through collective action. As the economic sectors divides into diverse industries, the lack or absence of solidarity attraction between the workers and manufacturer ensues. Durkheim called this breakdown an anomic division of labor, which is the consequence of weak or absent social bonds resulting from infrequent, disordered, and complex connections shared between the individuals engaged in

Read More

Karl Marx Alienation Analysis

759 Words | 4 Pages

The founding fathers of sociology, Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim, have played a profound role in influencing the development of sociology. This essay takes a critique stand on the similarities and differences in Marx’s concept of alienation and Durkheim’s theory of anomie. Karl Marx’s works which are still popular to this day, attributes to the adaptability of his concepts in today’s society. For example, Marx’s theory of “alienation” has grown popular in not only political and existentialist philosophy, but also modern literature, psychology, sociology, and psycho analysis. In ‘Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts’ (1844), Marx considers labor as a conscious act, as opposed to just a physical act.

Read More

Difference Between Max Weber And Emile Durkheim

1740 Words | 7 Pages


 Emile Durkheim was well-known for his views on the structure of society. He was interested in what was happening with society as a whole rather than an individuals specific actions. His theories were founded on the concept of social facts, defined as the norms, values, and structures of society for example; institutions, culture, beliefs, etc. which are external in nature to the individual

Read More

The Methodological Approaches Of Max Weber And Emile Durkheim

837 Words | 4 Pages

Durkheim, thus wishes to be more scientific in his approach and wants to observe moral facts that are constantly changing to formulate sociological theories as opposed to just accepting a set of “ideal type” morals that were formed at a specific

Read More

More about Sociological Theory Of Emile Durkheim

Related Topics

Open Document