Anomie Essay ⋆ Sociology Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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Anomie refers to the lack or ineffectiveness of normative regulation in society. The concept was first introduced in sociology by Emile Durkheim (1893) who argued, against Marx, that the division of labor brings about problematic consequences only under exceptional circumstances, either because of a lack of regulation or because the level of regulation does not match the degree of development of the division of labor. In his famous study on suicide, Durkheim (1897) relied on the anomie perspective to introduce the anomic type of suicide. Anomic suicide takes place when normative regulations are absent, such as in the world of trade and industry (chronic anomie), or when abrupt transitions in society, such as fiscal crises, lead to a loss in the effectiveness of norms to regulate behavior (acute anomie).

Durkheim’s anomie concept was expanded by Robert K. Merton (1968), who argued that a state of anomie occurs as a result of the unusually strong emphasis in US society on the dominant cultural goals (individual success) without a corresponding emphasis on the legitimate means (education, work) to reach those goals. Anomie refers to the resulting demoralization or deinstitutionalization of legitimate norms.

Following Merton’s work, anomie became among the most applied concepts in American sociology during the 1950s and 1960s. Theoretically, anomie was perceived among non-Marxists as a useful alternative to alienation. In matters of empirical research, an important development was Leo Srole’s concept of anomia, which refers to the social-psychological mental states of individuals who are confronted with social conditions of anomie. Caught in the polarization between micro and macro perspectives, the theoretical relation between anomia and anomie has not yet been adequately addressed.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, the concept of anomie was much less discussed. Since the late 1980s, however, there has been a revival of the anomie concept in at least two areas of inquiry. First, Merton’s perspective of anomie and social structure is now widely recognized as one of the most influential contributions in criminological sociology. The theoretical approach has now been broadened as comprising an anomie theory (of social organization) as well as a strain theory (of deviance). In contemporary criminological sociology, strain theory is much more influential than anomie theory.

Second, Durkheim’s anomie concept is applied in research on societies undergoing rapid social and economic change, such as many of the eastern European countries since the collapse of communism. It remains to be seen if and how this renewed concept of anomie will integrate with the related literature on globalization and inequality that is traditionally rather hostile toward Durkheimian and functional-structuralist theories. Perhaps a new integrated perspective can emerge that will transcend the prior dichotomies between anomie and rival concepts such as alienation.

Bibliography:

Durkheim, E. (1933) [1893] The Division of Labor in Society, trans. G. Simpson. Free Press, Glencoe, IL.
Durkheim, E. (1952) [1897] Suicide: A Study in Sociology, trans. J. A. Spaulding & G. Simpson. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.
Merton, R. K. (1968) Social Theory and Social Structure, enlarged edn. Free Press, New York.
Srole, L. (1956) Social integration and certain corollaries: an exploratory study. American Sociological Review 21: 709-16.
Featherstone, R. & Deflem, M. (2003) Anomie and strain: context and consequences of Merton’s two theories. Sociological Inquiry 73: 471-89.