Essentially, we’re talking about a shared mental state that defines the normal boundaries of behavior within a society.Īs part of a society, you unconsciously adhere to the shared beliefs and values as expressed in the collective consciousness. The more homogeneous a society, the more powerful its collective consciousness (Misztal, 2003 Ritzer, 2015). The collective consciousness is reflected in our laws, moral regulations, social norms, and traditional practices.ĭurkheim suggested that collective consciousness arises from shared experiences and interactions within a group or society. It prescribes the rules of conduct and principles of existence for its members. This force forms the backbone of society. This concept refers to shared beliefs and moral attitudes, which operate as a unifying force within society (Misztal, 2003 Ritzer, 2015). Collective ConsciousnessĬollective consciousness is Durkheim’s term for a shared set of beliefs, values, and norms among people in a society.Ĭollective consciousness, or as Durkheim originally termed it, “conscience collective,” lies at the heart of his Durkheim’s theories. He therefore advocated for an unbiased, scientific approach that focused on objective evidence, as influenced by the philosophical pragmatists.Įmpirical evidence, according to Durkheim, is what separates sociology from philosophical conjecture. Durkheim believed in the validity of statistical data and other tangible proofs for understanding society (Durkheim, 1895 Gane, 2010). These social phenomena should be studied via a focus on empirical evidence. (Gane, 2010)ĭurkheim put forth the view that social phenomena cannot simply be reduced to individualistic terms and should be viewed as a distinct reality. The sociological method, as put forward by Emile Durkheim, is a set of principles and techniques for studying social phenomena. Follow the hyperlinks to explore each idea in more depth. Note, however, that each area has a great deal of depth that I cannot begin to explain in one article. I’ve distilled Durkheim’s contributions to sociology down to seven key areas. Durkheim’s Theories and Contributions to Sociology Emile Durkheim is considered the founder of sociology, having set up foundational sociological theories, the first European department of sociology and the first academic journal dedicated to sociological thought.Īlongside Max Weber and Karl Marx, Durkheim is one of the most influential sociologists of all time.Īs the father of sociology, he was deeply concerned with establishing sociology as a respected social science, dedicating time to explaining the sociological method, which he explicated in his 1895 book The Rules of Sociological Method.īut perhaps his most enduring influence was his Durkheim’s theories themselves, which were foundational in the development of one of sociology’s major paradigms, structural-functionalism, which dedicates itself to exploring how societies achieve structure and order.
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