With the fact that during the
transition period of society the number of people with deviant behavior increases, no one will argue. Many researchers have debated on the subject of motives for this behavior.
What drives people who break the line of law? What is the main motive for deviant behavior in society? One of the explanatory approaches is the concept of anomie. Translated from Greek, anomie is a state of lawlessness in society, lawlessness. For the first time, this concept was introduced by the sociologist
Emil Durkheim, emphasizing that the deviant behavior of some members of society is quite normal.
Emil Durkheim's Approach
As already mentioned, the concept of anomie belongs to Durkheim, who believed that the absence of a violation of laws and rules in society reflects his painful condition.
Society must develop, and any
social changes are always accompanied by violations of established norms. However, the mere presence of deviant elements in society is not yet an anomaly. Anomie is a condition in society when crime and neglect of standards of conduct culminate. Such a society is characterized by excessive fragmentation of its elements. The individual components of society are increasingly isolated, the public order simply ceases to exist and breaks up. Such a picture can be observed at transitional moments in the
development of society, when old values become obsolete and discarded, while new ones do not yet have time to gain a foothold. The theory of anomie of Durkheim was clearly reflected in the life of French society at the end of the 19th century, when the loss of authority of the church and the policy of government non-interference in the economy resulted in a wave of suicides and, as a result, a deep state of anomie.
Suicides as an indicator of anomie
Why did Durkheim pay special attention to the increasing number of suicides in split societies? This is because anomie is, first and foremost, a loss of social support. In the transition from one ideals to another, with a change of authority, of power, a person simply disorients. Humans are pretty rigid creatures. Once accustomed to a certain way of life, it is very difficult for a person to change his views and beliefs later. And with age, it becomes increasingly difficult to do. And suddenly there is a coup, a radical change in the life of society! Old ideals violated, what to rely on? What is right, what is wrong? People get confused as they tear out support from under their feet. People in despair commit suicide. When this happens everywhere, an anomie is stated. This is one of the most striking indicators of the crisis in society.
Characteristics of anomic society
There are three main characteristics that a society possesses in a state of anomie:
1) Social norms and values begin to contradict each other, become vague.
2) The behavior of members of a company cannot be more effectively regulated by existing norms and rules.
3) The crisis state of society, when the old system of values is destroyed, and the new one has not yet appeared or has not been established in society. In such a situation, partially or completely lacking regulatory regulation of behavior.
So, as already mentioned, the anomie is characterized by an increased number of suicides, a general state of frustration and apathy, a sharp increase in the number of crimes.