Durkheim 's Theory Of Social Facts

In sociology, social facts are social structures, cultural norms, and values that extend to social control. According to Durkheim, social facts are the elements of society that must exist in every society. Emile

Social facts have existence as a separate entity and it does not get affected by the individual behavior. In other words, social facts are the outcome of the state of the collective mind. The stress on the above feature makes sociology different from the rules of sociological method. Further, in favor of his argument Durkheim says that as an individual of the society the person inculcates automatically the behavioral deeds and actions with or without prior knowledge. No one is coercive on the imposition of laws and rules. If anyone goes against he is fined or a penalty is imposed for not obeying the laws of the society. To put forth his ideas in an effective manner he argues that society as a whole is an amalgamation of political platforms, partial groups such as literary schools, religious organizations etc which are bonded through certain sentiments. In his opinion, if the individual does not act in favor of a group and its principles that work for good cause and the betterment of the individuals and the society, he is made to face everything alone leading to atrocities and horrifying incidents.

“ A social fact is every way of acting, fixed or not, capable of exercising on the individual an external constraint; or again, every way of acting which is general throughout a given society, while at the same time existing in its own right independent of its individual manifestations. (Durkheim,1895/1982;13) (Ritzer, pg 76)

Durkheim’s theory of anomie and Marx’s theory of alienation have had a very strong influence on the sociological understandings of modern life. Critically compare these two concepts.

Along with Marx and Weber, Durkheim is considered one of the founding members of modern sociology. He is also credited with making sociology a science through his application of scientific and empirical research. Durkheim believed that sociology should be seen as a science separate from other sciences such as psychology, by studying “social facts” objectively as things. (Kiviston, 2011)

Firstly one needs to define the two concepts at hand, namely (a) social facts by Durkheim and secondly, (b) pathological by Durkheim.

Throughout his life, Durkheim has three main goals: establish sociology as a new academic discipline, analyze how societies maintain their integrity in the modern era, and lastly the practical implications of scientific knowledge. Durkheim’s contributions to social theory are expansive however the most impactful works were: The Division of Labor in Society and The Rules of Sociological Method. In his first work he introduced the concept of the breakdown of the influence of the societal norms on the individual, in his second work he stated what sociology is and how it should be acted out. Both of these works took social theory to a new level and they further help the individual understand his society.

Durkheim argued that problems in society do not need to be explained in case by case basis. His theory was based on the concepts of social facts, which are the norms, values, and structure of a given society, emphasizing on a societal equilibrium. Durkheim argued that society should be measured in terms of functions. Functionalists view racial and ethnic inequality as important parts of society, ensuring that unpleasant jobs be done. They consider that ethical minorities to have insufficient job skills.

a. Social facts/pg. 15: Durkheim’s term for a group’s patterns of behavior. In The Harvest, it was apparent what behaviors were common among all members of the families which were documented. An apparent social fact included waking up at the crack of dawn to prepare for the day by way of driving to the local farm to begin the day’s work. Once at the farm, the group’s behavior was patterned so that they would work for 12-14 hours for the day where they would gather crops in the field. Upon gathering the crops, the workers would bring them back to the weighing station where they would deposit their collected crops and gather a basket to begin collecting crops once more. The pattern continued after their individual shifts were over, heading back home, piled into their family vehicle where they would begin to rest for the night and look ahead to the next day that loomed in front of them.

Our text explains that Durkheim’s sociological model gets to the center of the relationship between an individual and the community.

Pleasantville, USA Durkheim was as theorist who examined many theories about how and why people lives their lives and the way communities are formed. In his works, Durkheim theorizes about how society operates and the affects it has on communities and individuals. Durkheim’s work is highly utilized not only in the field of sociology but also in many other study that revolve around human behaviors. Durkheim is often referred to as the father of sociology because he is the person who founded it and pushed to make it a science. In the movie Pleasantville, One may observe many of Durkheim’s theories including his theory of functionalism, anomie, and his theories about social order.

“A social fact is identifiable through the power of external coercion which it exerts or is capable of exerting upon individuals” (Durkheim, [1859] 1982, p.56)

Tagging along with the subject of social facts, we see that Durkheim splits social facts up into two categories, which are nonmaterial and material. Material facts are known as structural components of society rather than nonmaterial, which focuses on moral and cultural components. Poverty plays a larger role in non-material social facts than material. Tying in religion that was mentioned in the above paragraph and morality, poverty is still being

Essay Question: Why is the concept of social facts so significant for Durkheim’s work? Illustrate your answer with reference to at least one of his studies.

Durkheim is a highly influential name to remember when thinking of sociology. Durkheim’s mission was to develop sociology so it could be defined and to develop a method on how sociology should be used. Durkheim’s main concern in his career was primarily associated with how societies might preserve their integrity and rationality within modernised society, when things such as shared religious views and ethnic backgrounds are seen as things of the past. In relation to Durkheim’s social realism his concern was with the growing individualism in society. Durkheim argues that we are in an era which is imperfectly moving towards a morality based on individualism as “Durkheim regarded individualism as a collective representation, a force that