Anomie is a special state of society

With the fact that during the transition period of societythe number of people with deviant behavior increases, no one will argue. Many researchers have discussed the motives for this behavior. What motivates people who violate the law? What is the main motive for deviant behavior in society? One of the explanatory approaches is the concept of anomie. In translation from the Greek language anomie is a state of lack of rights of society, lawlessness. For the first time this concept was introduced by sociologist Emil Durkheim, emphasizing that the deviant behavior of some members of society is quite normal.

The approach of Emile Durkheim

As already mentioned, the concept of anomie belongs to Durkheim, who believed that the absence of violation of laws and regulations in society reflects his morbid state.

The society should develop, and any socialchanges are always accompanied by violations of established norms. However, the mere presence of divergent elements in society is not yet an anomie. Anomie is a state in a society where crime and disregard for the norms of behavior come to a culmination. Such a society is characterized by excessive disunity of its elements. Individual components of society are increasingly isolated, the public order simply ceases to exist and splits. Such a picture can be seen in the transitional moments of the development of society, when old values ​​become obsolete and discarded, and new ones do not have time to gain a foothold. The theory of the anomie of Durkheim was clearly reflected in the life of French society at the end of the 19th century, when the loss of the authority of the church and the government's non-interference in the economy resulted in a wave of suicides and, as a result, a deep anomie.

Suicide as an indicator of anomie

Why did Durkheim pay special attention toan increasing number of suicides in splitting societies? All because anomie is first of all loss of a support of a society. In the transition from one ideals to another, with the change of authority, power, the person is simply disoriented. People are pretty rigid creatures. Having once become accustomed to a certain way of life, it is very difficult for a person to later change his views and beliefs. And with age it becomes more difficult to do. And suddenly there is a revolution, a radical change in the life of society! The old ideals are trampled, what should we rely on? What's right, what's wrong? People get confused, because they get a support from under their feet. People in despair commit suicide. When this happens everywhere, an anomia is established. This is one of the most striking indicators of the crisis in the society.

Characteristics of an Anonymous Society

There are three main characteristics that society has in the state of anomie:

1) Public norms and values ​​begin to contradict each other, become vague.

2) The behavior of members of society can not be more effectively regulated by existing norms and rules.

3) Crisis state of society, when the oldthe value system is destroyed, and the new one has not yet appeared or has not been established in the society. In this situation, there is some or all of the regulatory regulation of behavior.

So, as already mentioned, anomie is characterized by an increased number of suicides, a general state of frustration and apathy, a sharp increase in the number of crimes.