Sociology 1020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Iron Cage, Interpersonal Communication, Scientific Method

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 1020
• Professor: Rebecca Collins- Nelsen

Document Summary

At end of 19th century, demonstrated suicide rates were strongly influenced by social forces. Examined association between rates of suicide and rates of psychological disorder for different groups. Contribution: argued suicide rates varied as result of differences in degree of social solidarity in different categories of the population. Social solidarity refers to: how close knit a community is. The more social solidarity a person has, the lower the suicide rate is. Durkheim called suicide in high solidarity settings alturistic. Soliders who knowingly give up their lives is altruistic suicide. Suicide in low- solidarity settings is egoistic or anomic. Egoistic suidice results from poor integration of people into socitey because of weak social ties to others. Anomic suicide occurs when vague norms govern behaviour. The rate of anomic suicide is likely to be high amoung people living in a socitey lacking a widely shared code of morality. Social structure: relatively stable patterns of social relations.