Emile Durkheim Research Paper

The sociological theory of Durkheim concentrates on the primary of social rather than individual. His theory of social facts focuses on the power of social norms and social

Compare and contrast the theories and methods of Emile Durkheim and Max Weber regarding social behavior.

Emile Durkheim was a sociologist who greatly impacted the world of sociology and changed many concepts about the discipline. Durkheim's main goal was to get people to realize that one's social experiences impact a person's behavior. Everything you encounter in your life, affects you in some way. Durkheim conducted a social experiment where he used suicide rates in different ethnicities, genders, and religions to prove his point. He concluded that these rates are constant every year and they rarely change within their given category. During his research, he found that one religion compared to another had higher suicide rates. He determined that this was due to their social experiences. The example between Protestants and Catholics was used because Protestants believe in freedom of their mind and actions, which excludes them from many social interactions that one of a different religion may encounter.

Pope and Johnson (1983) state that Durkheim proposed that society revitalizes individuals and gives them strength to persevere in the face of the vicissitudes of everyday life. Stones (2008), further states that Durkheim felt that we acquired all the best in ourselves and all the things that distinguish us from other animals from our social existence. Thought, language, world-views, rationality, morality and aspirations are derived from society. Thus, the unsocialised individual, the individual divorced form society, the beast within us, is a poor approximation of the highly socialised beings that constitute societies.

For Durkheim, the problem concerning modernity emerged from the move to an industrial society wherein the division of labour (increasing specialisation of occupations) led to a decrease in mechanical solidarity (social cohesion based on similarities between members of pre-industrial societies); resulting in the breakdown of the influence of social norms on individuals within a

Durkheim observed that social periods of disruption, or anomie, could lead to economic depression and war and higher rates of suicide, crime, and deviance. A final sociologically significant concept of Durkheim is that he believed he found an area from replacing religion in society and he formed two mutually contradictory

Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist that created a social theory based on individualism (Burke, 2015). His work has served as a foundation for many of the social theories that have followed since (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Durkheim disagreed that crime causation could be accounted for based strictly on biological or psychological reasons (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). He argued that society influences had significant impacts on a person’s individualism (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). The laws of a particular society, institutional rules, and influences of groups all affect an individual and directly play a role in criminal behavior (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Durkheim published “The Division of Labor in Society” back in 1893. This publication had a dramatic influence in describing how societies change as they modernize (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). As a particular society becomes more modern, or industrialized, the more control it has over the actions of its residents (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). He argued that society caused people to work outside their capacities and divided labor so that it negatively affected someone’s livelihood (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Durkheim also showed these modernizations of societies hurt the collective conscience. Basically, the camaraderie of a community and the moral values that act as the glue for a group of people is deteriorated (Bohm & Vogel, 2011).

Along with Marx and Weber, Durkheim is considered one of the founding members of modern sociology. He is also credited with making sociology a science through his application of scientific and empirical research. Durkheim believed that sociology should be seen as a science separate from other sciences such as psychology, by studying “social facts” objectively as things. (Kiviston, 2011)

This paper examines about Emile Durkheim’s theory of anomie and its relationship to the field of criminology. Durkheim proposed a theory in order to test different types of norms in societies that cause crime. He explains that social norms are an agreement of some people who live in that geographical location. Conservative societies incline to have less population and be more oppressive. If certain behavior goes against social norms, then severe punishment can ensure to reject the behavior. In opposite case more advanced societies allow more facilities for different behavior and accepts changes. Behavior against the norm is tolerated in advance societies. Durkheim focused on society, social organization and development. He explained that

Emile Durkheim, known and applauded for his contributions to the study of society, wrote two novels that explore the changes that society sustains overtime, its causes, and what this means to the collective and the individual. In his novels, Durkheim offers readers the chance to understand how a group of people who share a culture and relationships operate to create social cohesion. In The Division of Labor in Society, Durkheim (1893) defines two different types of social solidarity and explains how they contribute (or not) through the division of labor, to social cohesion. In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Durkheim (1912) is more specific with his research, as he focuses on religion to aid in his understanding of and to explain social organization. Although both pieces of work address the fundamental roles within society, findings from The Elementary Forms of Religious Life are limited to that of a society that does not exist anymore (or is on its way to becoming extinct). As society evolves and modernizes, the role of religion is less pronounced and consequently, the role of religion as a function of social cohesion no longer exists. Instead, as individuality increases, social cohesion is dependent upon the division of labor and restitutive laws and their function within society.

Durkheim is a highly influential name to remember when thinking of sociology. Durkheim’s mission was to develop sociology so it could be defined and to develop a method on how sociology should be used. Durkheim’s main concern in his career was primarily associated with how societies might preserve their integrity and rationality within modernised society, when things such as shared religious views and ethnic backgrounds are seen as things of the past. In relation to Durkheim’s social realism his concern was with the growing individualism in society. Durkheim argues that we are in an era which is imperfectly moving towards a morality based on individualism as “Durkheim regarded individualism as a collective representation, a force that

Sociology of religion is the study of the views, practices and structural forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. Religion and power are both inseparable, as defining religion is an act of power. Academics, political figures, lawyers and religious leaders all have their followers, who all have interests of how religion is defined. This essay will follow up on sociological religion from the views of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Ulrich Beck last but not the least Edward Burnett Tylor. These sociologists searched for comparable views and practices in all groups of cultures, especially those from basic backgrounds, irrespective to the moment and where it was based. They mainly depend on finding that were made by preachers, inventers, and also majestic servants. These were all individuals who had a religious background themselves, this is because they could look at religion from the inside.

Durkheim is a French sociologist that is said to be one of the founding fathers of the discipline. His work has helped shape what sociology is today, and one of his major theories has withstood the test of time. It’s safe to say that Émile Durkheim is one of the most important figures in sociology’s history. Who knows where sociology would be today if he never did what he did for the discipline.

This essay is a compilation of certain aspects on Durkheim’s point of view as a sociologist. The objective of this piece is to discuss Emilé Durkheim’s view of work. The main focus is on his perspectives and contributions in terms of the division of labour and its impact on the pre-industrial and industrial societies. Within these societies we look at his view on the foundations of individual freedom as well as the differences between pre industrial societies and industrial societies. His views on the threat of anomie and his solution to social cohesion are also briefly discussed. The closing discussed Durkheim’s contribution. As the authors, the main reason for this task is to broaden the understanding of Durkheim as a sociologist who focuses

Sociology is the study of how people react within their social group. When studying sociology you have to be able to research one a group of people or an individual on their behavior and what they think. That is exactly what Emile Durkheim did. Emile Durkheim was one of many French sociologist was interested in sociology and some philosophy. One of the biggest studied he conducted was why people committed suicide and what caused it. He had many other studies and believed that sociology plays a part of how we act in situations. Which he believed could play a part in why people do commit suicide.