The term "anomie," as described by Durkheim, refers to (A) objectivity, (B) normlessness, (C) subjectivity, or (D) norms?

Sociologist Emile Durkheim uses the term "anomie" to refer to a state of "normlessness," or choice B in the question above. According to Durkheim, anomie arises when society no longer provides moral guidance to people because the bonds between the individual and society have eroded. In this scenario, there is a mismatch between the individual and the norms of the society, so that the individual feels a lack of social regulation and a sense of...

Sociologist Emile Durkheim uses the term "anomie" to refer to a state of "normlessness," or choice B in the question above. According to Durkheim, anomie arises when society no longer provides moral guidance to people because the bonds between the individual and society have eroded. In this scenario, there is a mismatch between the individual and the norms of the society, so that the individual feels a lack of social regulation and a sense of alienation. In a society that develops organically, this situation of anomie does not develop, as the society conforms to people's needs. Durkheim believed that in an industrialized society, people are not integrated sufficiently into society, and therefore society has limited control over the individual. The society is normless, meaning that it does not have sufficient norms to control individual behavior and that people must make their own decisions about moral behavior.