What Held Societies and Social Groups Together

According to the sociologist Emile Durkheim, when a person has a very strong degree of social connectedness, he or she may identify with its values or causes to such an extent that

Society evolve as these parts begin to function smoothly. His main argument was that even though the individual exists and is very important, society exist outside the realm of the individual. Society had the ability to constrain the individual. This leads us into his arguments about social order and how it relates to immigration. Durkheim observed that most societies are made up of individuals who have disparate interests and desires. It is up to societies to constrain individuals so that social order can prevail. Immigrants often enter communities with established order, norms, values and rules. The process of reconciling the differences in culture and norms is difficult and it can lead to accusations of prejudice between groups. These are what Durkheim call disruptions in social solidarity. Immigrants invade societies with collective conscience. As Durkheim noted “the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to average citizens of the same society forms a determinate system which has its own life; one may call it the collective or common conscience” (Durkheim

There are two main themes in the work of Durkheim, first the priority of the social over the individuals, second the idea that society can be studied scientifically (Ritzer, 2011:74).

The sociological theory of Durkheim concentrates on the primary of social rather than individual. His theory of social facts focuses on the power of social norms and social

Emile Durkheim is a prominent figure in Sociology, and is often referred to as one of the founding fathers of the subject, alongside Marx and Weber. This is due to his work on studying Suicide in his book ‘Suicide: A Study in Sociology’, this work was monumental in the field of Sociology as Durkheim was the first sociologist to suggest that society can affect what is probably the most private action a person can perform; ending their life.

After determining what resulted from modernization, Durkheim unlike Marx was interested in reforming not eliminating modern society. In analyzing Durkheim’s theory of modern society, I will begin with the focal point of it, namely solidarity.

According to functionalist, Durkheim, sociology was not a study of a person or person’s behaviour it was for those individuals who built their social life towards religion and the economy. (Giddens2001). Therefore, through all of his work, Durkheim has argued against individuals approaching towards the social analysis by rejecting the impact of psychological issues of their social behaviour. His demand was that studying human beings was not possibly a benefit without studying the forces which could make and restrict them. As per Durkheim, the ethics of behaviour were taught by parents through generations where individuals do not learn on their own when born or after birth. Durkheim showed his

A structure is a part of Macro structures, which are those factors of influence that determine or limit an agent and his or her decisions (Waldner, 2002, p.25). An agent is a part of Mirco structures and it is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices (Waldner, 2002, p.25). Durkheim’s Suicide has been a frequent resource in debates about structure and agency. As a result to Durkheim being a determinist, he believes that society contains of groups of peoples’ interactions with each other, equally impelling each other to new forms of collective activity. Durkheim says “we think it is a fertile idea that social life must be explained not by the conception of it created by those who participate in but by profound causes which escape awareness, and we also think these causes must principally be sought in the way in which associated individuals are grouped” (1951, p.127). In this statement, Durkheim is making a claim about society by believing that social structures function independently of individual understanding. This statement falls squarely under the definition of being a sociological determinist because Durkheim is committing to an interactionist account of social

Durkheim focused on social solidarity as one of the important functions of society: individuals had a defined place that was created and reinforced by social values. He observed that certain

Emile Durkheim also referred to as “The Father of Sociology” (Thio, 2002), played a critical role in establishing theories based on “Social Facts” (Thio, 2002) He is best known for his views of “social reality”( Thio, 2002) and their ties into how a society works. He was said to be a sociologist who played an important part in the development of “structural functionalism” (Thio, 2002), and sociology as a whole. His four major studies, or publications, have assured him a place in the history of sociology’s intellectual development (Thompson, 2002). The following contents will discuss Durkheim’s childhood, his studies, his journey through sociology, and his theories.

Durkheim too thought that societies were held together by the dependence that each person had on others. In the days of old many would bake their own bread, sew their own clothes, as well as grow their own vegetable and raise their own meat as time went on more and more people began to specialize in things that caused them to depend on others that had talents. Today we are even more dependent on others than ever. If our car breaks down, we call a mechanic. We go out to eat more than ever before, and many choose to utilize daycare for their children. Without these people to

When discussing the self, Durkheim places heavy emphasis on solidarity as to what holds individuals together in social institutions. Roles and

French sociologist and philosopher, Émile Durkheim, was one of the most influential contributors to the social sciences as his evaluations and conclusions formally built the principle foundations of historic and current of sociology. Utilizing his implications coming from Durkheim’s perspective, there will be a comparison and contrast in three fundamental theories studied throughout the course: Merton’s Strain Theory, Hirschi’s Social Control Theory, Becker’s and Cohen’s Labelling Theory. In saying that this evaluation will be from Durkheim’s perspective, it is being understood that Durkheim focused more on the moral order, as he concluded that it is more fundamental than the economic aspect of society. This separation between the moral order and economic order of society is how Durkheim separated the two types of mental attitudes that each citizen pertain to; (1) social self or the aspects that looks to society and is a product of socialization and cultivation of human potentials (2) egotistic self or the primal self that is incomplete without society and that is full of impulses knowing no natural limits. (Lily 97) Durkheim states how a person that is socialized by society and bounds themselves within the constraints of society, are more of sane and rational individual. He then regards those that are led with their egotistic attitude are full of impulses knowing no limits. These impulses are assumed that they are acts of deviancy against the collective agreement and

Throughout his life David Emile Durkheim managed to write about many aspects of life, however his most influential work had to do with sociology. Today he is known as the father of sociology for the innovative and revolutionary work he did. However, his works are not always easily understandable, but once understood its reach is endless. One of the questions that comes from Durkheim’s works is how the individual developed a sense of autonomy, how the individual was able to break out of the mold of centuries in the making. Durkheim explained how they were able to become individually autonomous in his many works.

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