Which person is most likely to experience “anomie,” a concept described by Émile Durkheim?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: The prompt asks which person is most likely to experience 'anomie,' a concept described by Émile Durkheim.
Given option (provided as the answer): 'an inventor who has no close friends and does not work in a shared workplace.'
First, recall what anomie means in Durkheimian sociology: a state of normlessness or a breakdown of social norms and expectations, often arising during times of rapid change, social isolation, or weak social integration where individuals feel disconnected from the collective conscience.
Now, evaluate the provided scenario against that concept:
- The inventor lacks close friends, indicating weak social ties and low social integration with peers.
- Not working in a shared workplace reduces opportunities for social regulation, collective norms, and mutual monitoring, which can intensify feelings of normlessness or alienation.
- The combination of social isolation and absence of a structured, communal work setting aligns with conditions Durkheim associated with anomie, where individuals feel detached from the social norms that guide behavior.
On the other hand, reflect on typical misunderstandings that can lead to incorrect intuitions:
- A person who is highly independent or unconventional might be wrongly thought to experience anomie because of individuality, but Durkheim’s concept centers on the breakdown of social norms and integration, not mere nonconformity.
- Anomie is not simply loneliness or personal dissatisfaction; it involves a breakdown in the social regulation that normally guides behavior within a functioning society.
- Being surrounded by people or belonging to a dense organization would usually mitigate anomie, even if one feels isolated personally, because social norms remain reinforced through interactions.
Since no alternative options are provided for comparison in this prompt, we focus on the logic of how the isolated inventor scenario aligns with Durkheimian anomie: weak personal ties combined with a lack of shared social regulation create a context in which normative guidance is undermined, making anomie a plausible diagnosis for this individual.
In summary, the isolated inventor scenario embodies core elements of anomie—reduced social integration and diminished normative guidance—more so than a person with strong social connections or cohesive, norm-regulating environments.

SOC 110-003 Quiz 1

Which person is most likely to experience “anomie,” a concept described by Émile Durkheim?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

The concept of anomie was introduced into sociology by

Anomie refers to a

The concept anomie can be defined as:

As industrialization began to boom, Durkheim believed people were more susceptible to anomie because:

In a consumer society, many adults channel creativity into buying things

Economic stress and unpredictable times have resulted in a booming industry for self-help products

People born without creativity never can develop it

A product has a selling price of $20, a contribution margin ratio of 40% and fixed cost of $120,000. To make a profit of $30,000. The number of units that must be sold is: Type the number without $ and a comma. Eg: 20000

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler