Okuzeka
Sociology vocabulary · Theories and Thinkers

Anomie

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/ˈænəmi/nounCommon term

In sociology, anomie means: A condition in which the norms that guide behaviour become weak, unclear or contradictory, often during rapid social change, leaving people without direction.

In Turkish: anomi, kuralsızlık

How it is used

Durkheim used it in The Division of Labour in Society and in Suicide, where anomic suicide is one of his four types. Robert Merton later adapted the idea in his strain theory of deviance. The adjective is anomic.

Example sentences

  1. Durkheim argued that sudden economic booms and crises can both produce anomie.

  2. Some researchers use the idea of anomie to explain feelings of rootlessness among young migrants.

Common collocations

  • state of anomie
  • anomic suicide
  • anomie theory
  • Merton's strain theory
  • social factIn Durkheim's sociology, a way of acting, thinking or feeling that exists outside individuals and puts pressure on them, such as laws, customs or suicide rates.
  • devianceBehaviour, beliefs or characteristics that break the norms of a group or society and lead to disapproval or punishment, whether or not they are against the law.
  • normA written or unwritten rule about how people are expected to behave in a particular situation, supported by approval when it is followed and by sanctions when it is broken.
  • division of labourThe way work in a society or organisation is split into separate, specialised tasks carried out by different people or groups.

More terms: Theories and Thinkers

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: