Durkheim Anomie And Suicide

According to the dictionary “Anomie” is defined as normlessness or the absence of standards and values in society. Durkheim described the term “Anomie” as a weakening of moral regulations, bonds and sentiments. He felt this occurs when society transforms from mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity too quickly and the effect of these sudden changes causes the social conditions to break down. In Durkheim’s work “The Division of Labor in Society” and “Suicide” he uses the term “Anomie” two different ways.

In his work “The Division of Labor in Society” he describes “Anomie” as a condition within society where expectations and ones behavior are unclear or absent. In his work “Suicide”, he describes “Anomie” as a form of moral deregulation

Mechanical can be described as “simple”. People within this society were similar. Individual’s thoughts and acts are alike. All the members of the group were connected through work, religion, social and education. Each member is considered equal and relies on one another, therefore creating a sense of unity. This type of society Durkheim believed would not lead to “Anomie”.

Organic is more complex because of specialization. Modern Industrial society became more specialized in their laws, jobs and technology. This requires society to depend on others for ones existence which causes strains in ones relationships and unity becomes more difficult. Durkheim believed that this phenomenon increased the division of labor in society which led to “Anomie”.

An example of modern day “Anomie” occurred during the summer of 2003. New York experienced a major power outage which affected the entire state which shut the city down. People were confused, unclear of what was happening and unsure as of what to do. This caused chaos in the city. Some people began to loot items from stores, street vendors as well as car services took advantage of people by charging higher prices for their services or goods then they were worth this is a practice known as price