Durkheim - Division of Labor
Jamiahtaylor10
Durkheim3.ppt
RULES OF THE SOCIOLOGICAL METHOD
SUICIDE
Emile Durkheim
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Review of
The Rules of Sociological Method
Three essential points:
(1) sociology is a distinct field of study.
(2) although the social sciences are distinct from the natural sciences, the methods of the latter can be applied to the former.
(3) the social field is also distinct from the psychological realm.
There are two different ways that social facts can be identified:
(1) social facts are “general throughout the extent of a given society” at a given stage in the evolution of that society (ibid.:xv,13)
(2) albeit related, a social fact is marked by “any manner of action . . . capable of exercising over the individual exterior constraint” (ibid.)
Introduction to
The Rules of Sociological Method
Durkheim argues that crime is inevitable or “normal” in all societies because crime defines the moral boundaries of a society and, in doing so, communicates to its inhabitants the range of acceptable behaviors.
Durkheim maintains, “A society exempt from [crime] is utterly impossible” because crime affirms and reaffirms the collective sentiments upon which it is founded and which are necessary for its existence (ibid.:67).
So – how does this happen? Well even though as Durkheim argues in a society we all share a collective consciousness and similar ideas of what is right and wrong – there will always be people that do not follow these norms (they are what we call deviants– there will, according to Durkheim always be bad people in society).
Crime
The Rules of Sociological Method
So– by punishing these acts that go against the collective consciousness of the norm of the society we are affirming what we as a society believe in. So when someone breaks a law – for example someone steals and that person is punished everyone else (the non-lawbreakers) can reaffirm their collectives beliefs that stealing is wrong.
Durkheim maintains, “A society exempt from [crime] is utterly impossible” because crime affirms and reaffirms the collective sentiments upon which it is founded and which are necessary for its existence (ibid.:67).
Introduction to
The Rules of Sociological Method
Modern day example
- What happens in the video?
- What do you notice about the reaction of the children on the school bus?
- The reaction of the children watching this and when the woman is caught is one of glee and jubilation. We can think about how Durkheim theorized that getting punished for breaking the law, reaffirms the moral codes and norms of a society and also brings people closer together– like the children on the school bus, there is a sense of solidarity (with each other) as they watch the woman drive on the sidewalk and then get caught
Introduction to Suicide
Durkheim examines a phenomenon that most people think of as an intensely individual act—suicide—and demonstrates its social (rather than psychological) roots.
Even today we tend to think about suicide as a personal or psychological matter- that people experience hardships or have psychological problems.
But think back to Intro and think about the the “Sociological Imagination” – what does this mean? That we need to look beyond individuals and see if there are trends that might imply that something more than personal problems are at play.
Durkheim analyzed rates of suicide between societies and historical periods and between different social groups within the same society. By linking the different suicide rates of particular societies and social groups to the specific characteristics of that society/social group, Durkheim not only demonstrates that individual pathologies are rooted in social conditions; in addition, Durkheim shows how sociologists can scientifically study social behavior.
Introduction to Suicide
Durkheim maintains that suicide rates are highest in moments when, and in places where, individuals lack social and moral regulation and/or integration.
Durkheim argues that traditional and modern societies differ not only in their rates of suicide, but in the types of suicide that are prevalent as well.
Introduction to Suicide
Durkheim saw two main characteristics of modern, industrial society:
a lack of integration of the individual in the social group
Remember this comes from the new type of social organization that is modern society – characterized by dense urban populations, different groups, division of labor – organic solidarity
(2) a lack of moral regulation
- in older mechanical solidarity based societies people did the same thing and believed the same thing– so they shared a strong sense of collective consciousness, there was high moral regulation. They did not question things. This is not true in today’s modern society.
Introduction to Suicide
egoism - the lack of integration of the individual in the social group.
anomie - a lack of moral regulation.
Both of these conditions—egoism and anomie—are “chronic” in modern, industrial society; and in extreme, pathological form, both egoism and anomie can result in suicide.
Introduction to Suicide
Study Design
- This is the first time anyone has taken a social phenomenon and studied it scientifically/statistically.
- Durkheim went through public records and categorized in what years suicides jumped. He also categorized people in different occupations as well as different religious groups.
- This way he could see if there were external factors at work during years where suicides rates rose. We know for example that in the United States, the years following the Great Depression (1929) saw a rise in suicide rates, so by seeing this spike (and the total number of suicides) we can postulate that there was an external factor (the economic depression) that drove some people to suicide, it was not just a psychological phenomenon.
Study Design-Cont.
- Breakdown by categories
- Durkheim also analyzed the suicide rates among different groups. So if he saw that the aggregate (total) number of suicides in one group (religious or occupational) was larger than another, he would conclude that there was something inherent to that group that might drive the rate of suicides. In fact we know today, that there are certain occupations that have higher rates than others- occupations that are more stressful, or where people feel like they have little control result in feelings of anomie or alienation .
The word egoistic means devoted to one’s self interested (in vernacular it means self-centered). So people who are egoistic have fewer bonds with other people, they care more about themselves than others.
Durkheim saw an increase in egoistic suicide as a “natural” outgrowth of the individuation of modern, industrial societies. The individual in modern society is often more important than the collective (the larger society). This is especially true in the US where we are taught that we need to depend on ourselves. How often do you hear the phrase – “it’s a dog eat dog world”
Intertwined with a decrease in social integration in modern, industrial societies is a decrease in moral integration. So as people are less integrated they are also less likely to shares morals (and the norms and values)
The lack of moral regulation in modern societies is especially prevalent in times of intense social and personal change.
Types of Suicide – Egoistic Suicide
Compared to modern societies, social regulation is intensive in traditional societies, thus limiting the development of individuality. In extreme form, such restrictions can lead to altruistic suicide, where an individual gives his life for the social group.
According to Durkheim, this is the primary type of suicide that occurs in small, traditional societies where individuation is minimal.
Types of Suicide
Findings – Egoistic Suicide Rates
(lack of social integration)
- Rise in egoistic suicides can be attributed to weakening bonds between the individual and the social group (this happens in modern societies more often, since people move away, are far from their families, have different types of jobs and the norms and values that guide them begin to change). Also as people have fewer bonds they feel alone, less obligated to people. So as expected, Durkheim found higher suicide rates among single, divorced and widowed people than married people, and again higher among married people without children than married people with children.
- Another finding was that suicide rates were higher among Protestants than Jews or Catholics. Durkheim posited that this is because the Protestant religion emphasized the individual over the community, so Protestants have overall weaker bonds with their larger groups than Catholics or Jews. Note– suicide is a sin in the Catholic religion but Durkheim argues that this is not the reason for lower suicide rates, it is the emphasis on the group and the social bonds that the religion emphasizes.
- So social isolation in its extreme form (according to Durkheim) can be fatal
Findings- anomic suicide (lack of moral integration)
- Anomic suicide is caused by the lack of moral integration – remember the mechanical and organic solidarity– in new, modern, dense societies characterized by organic solidarity, people lack a sense of collective morals, they do not all believe in the same thing, they might question their values and the accompanying norms. For example, when there are a number of religious groups to choose from, many people end up not choosing or really believing in anything.
- Durkheim found that this type of suicide spiked when there was unrest, when there was change (political, economic or social). After wars, or economic depressions).
Altruistic Suicide
- Another type of suicide is what Durkheim coined altruistic suicide which comes from an excessive feeling of integration to the social group and a lack of individuality. This according to Durkheim happened in traditional societies where there was an emphasis on the society over the individual. People were human sacrifices for the good of the whole.
- This term can be applied today to suicide bombers – who are too (overly) entrenched in their group and overly morally regulated and give up their lives for the cause of their group.
Altruistic Suicide
