Two Anomies
Durkheim published Suicide in 1897 to demonstrate a sociological method. He showed suicide rates are stable social facts shaped by social conditions.
He proposed four types across two variables:
| Type | Variable | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Egoistic | Integration | Too little group attachment |
| Altruistic | Integration | Excessive group attachment |
| Anomic | Regulation | Insufficient moral limits |
| Fatalistic | Regulation | Excessive oppressive rules |
Jack Douglas argued official statistics reflect coroner decisions rather than objective facts. Influential families often prevent suicide verdicts, biasing Durkheim's correlations.
Anomie has two distinct meanings:
- For Durkheim, it is deregulation: the collapse of moral limits on human desire.
- For Robert Merton, it is a structural mismatch between shared cultural goals and unequal institutional means.
| Adaptation | Cultural goals | Institutional means |
|---|---|---|
| Conformity | Accepted | Accepted |
| Innovation | Accepted | Rejected |
| Ritualism | Rejected | Accepted |
| Retreatism | Rejected | Rejected |
| Rebellion | Replaced | Replaced |
Deviance and Social Control
Later theorists shifted focus to social learning and societal reactions:
- Edwin Sutherland showed crime is learned in groups, introducing white-collar crime.
- Edwin Lemert separated primary rule-breaking from secondary deviance, where a person adopts a deviant identity.
- Howard Becker argued Deviance is created by audiences applying rules and sanctions.
- Stanley Cohen showed how media reactions amplify the very rule-breaking they condemn.
- Travis Hirschi asked why people conform, pointing to strong social bonds.
Common pitfall: Confusing Durkheim and Merton on anomie. Durkheim's anomie means desires lack moral limits. Merton's anomie means legitimate routes to cultural goals are blocked.