Introduction
Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist, scholar, thinker, professor, and writer of the 19th century. He was born in 1858. He acknowledged August Comte as his master. He used to say that sociology should also follow the scientific method.
Biography
Emile Durkheim was a bright student in college and won several prizes. He was not interested in the conventional subjects that were taught in college. Instead, he wanted to get a moral education.
Theories of Emile Durkheim
The theories of Emile Durkheim are the following.
- Social Fact Theory
- Suicide Theory
- Theory of Division of Labor
- Religion Theory
1. Theory of Social Facts
According to Emile Durkheim, man is a part of society, a group, or an organization, and the cultural norms and morals of the community influence him. He is directed by the facts of his tasks and thoughts.
He defined sociology as a science of social facts. He did not focus on one individual. Instead, he kept the idea of the group in his mind. He further said that no society can come into existence without group life.
Meaning of Social Facts:
He says that social fact is a phase of behaviour (thinking, feeling, and acting) that is subjugated to the believer and has a coercive nature.
Importance of Social Facts:
The cultural norms and other manners of group life (social facts) are the guiding principles for the individual. So, the individual follows them and does not deviate from them.
Characteristics:
The characteristics of social facts are the following;
- Social Facts must be treated as imperial facts from the outside, and we must discover them as physical facts.
- They are found outside the body of the individual (living or dead, no matter), but they control the individual from outside, i.e. Crowd and Fashion.
2. Theory of Suicide
Suicide is an act in which an individual causes his death intentionally. The reason may be some mental disorder, depression, or bipolar disorder.
According to Durkheim,
“Any action resulting directly or indirectly into someone’s death performed by the victim himself/herself or anyone else.”
Durkheim said that suicide is a conscious act, and the victim is fully aware of its consequences. For example, if someone shoots himself, jumps from a building, or drinks severe poison.
Types of Suicide:
According to Durkheim, suicide is of four kinds.
Egoistic: Lack of integration of an individual into his social group
Altruistic: Over-integration of an individual into his social group
Anomic: A state of normlessness in the society
Fatalistic: Too many rules and regulations in the society OR over-regulation by the community.
3. Theory of Division of Labor
Durkheim proposed his theory of division of labour in 1893. His concept of division of work can be interpreted in three ways.
- Technical division of labour: It describes the production process as a whole, i.e. demand and supply
- The sexual division of labour: It describes the social division between men and women
- Differentiation in society: Upper class and lower class system
Social Solidarity:
It is a state of a group in which there is social cohesion and cooperation among the members of society to attain a common goal.
Division of Labor and Anomie:
Anomie is a state of normlessness in society and also in the individual. Though the division of labour is an essential element of society, it may cause harm to institutions if it is carried to the extreme.
Modern societies give rise to individualism, giving rise to Anomie.
4. Theory of Religion
According to Emile Durkheim, The simplest form of religion is called Totemism.
When people gather, they talk about anything near them, such as an animal, plant, or any other object they consider sacred. They believe that it is the reason for their gathering. It means that all the tribes are organized around a totem.
From this fact, Durkheim concluded that when people worship a religion, they follow the society.
Conclusion
It is concluded that Emile Durkheim developed the theories of the division of labour, functionalism, and Anomie. Functionalism is a concept with three integral elements.
