SOC225 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Differential Association, Social Forces, Subculture

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC225
• Professor: Temitope Oriola

Document Summary

Published a book called the division of labor in society . He argues that social solidarity-social groups working together towards agreed upon goal were essential characteristics of human societies. Without norms to guide us, society functions very poorly. Such normlessness or anomie occurs during periods of rapid changes when social solidarity or social cohesion is reduces. The lack of sense of community and collective conscience leads to breakdown in society and increase in suicide and crime rates. He also argues that every society needs some quota of deviant behavior/crime. Durkheim: anomie and normlessness: anomie: a term that was devised by emily durkheim, which is used to describe an absence of clear societal norms and values. Robert merton used that term more narrowly to refer to a situate in which people would adopt deviant means to achieve goals that are beyond their means. So based on durkheim, anomie is the breakdown of social cohesion and social control mechanisms in a society.