“The worker does not fulfil himself in his work but denies himself, has a feeling of misery rather than wellbeing, does not develop freely his mental and physical energies but is physically exhausted and mentally debased. The worker therefore feels himself at home only during his leisure time, whereas at home he feels homeless”
Marx, in Bottomore and Rubel, 1963 p.169
In 1893 the French sociologist Emile Durkheim developed the concept of anomie. In his book the division of labour in society he described anomie as a condition of confusion caused by the breakdown of social norms. The division of labour is where the “inequality of opportunity denies individual’s access to positions to suit their talents.” (Bilton et al. 1982. p.701) Rules on how people ought to behave with each other were breaking down and consequently people did not know what to expect from each other. Durkheim felt that normlessness led to deviant behaviour.
Anomie is present when social controls are weak and when the moral responsibilities that control individuals and their behaviour are not strong enough to work effectively. Durkheim saw a number of gestures of anomie in the late 19th century industrial society: in particular, high rates of suicide, marital break-up and industrial conflict. Such behaviour indicates a breakdown of normative control.
According to Blauner (1964) alienation has four different dimensions: Powerlessness which happens to individuals who feel that they cannot their own actions, Meaninglessness when people have little or no sense of value, worth or interest, Isolation happens to individuals who cannot identify to their surroundings, and people who have no sense of involvement especially in their workplace are seen as self-estranged. Similar to alienation Marshall B. Clinard stated that anomie is “a sense of confusion and (is when) people become disorientated from their world”.
On the contrary to alienation, anomie in the industrial society causes people to become restless and dissatisfied. Since people have so many demands and expectations, they want more than what they already have, consequently when the individuals do actually gain what they previously sought after they still obsess for further improvements. Increasing wealth developing from the economic expansion makes a situation sharper. The steady increase in human control over nature is a reason why there has been a progressive development in the means of production. This is paralleled by a corresponding increase in human alienation, an increase that reaches its height in a capitalist society.
Defining both of these concepts has shown that anomie and alienation appear to be rather similar. Marx believes that self-estrangement is the result of alienated labour and capitalist relations of production, in which neither labour itself, the tools, product, or the co-operation nature of work, are owned and controlled by the worker. Durkheim thought that anomie is the consequence of the division of labour and that it is still possible for society to maintain a collective conscience. Durkheim suggests that the education system and professional associations can help to reinforce social solidarity amongst people in industrial societies.
In Marx’s early work he saw Alienation act as a moral criticism of capitalism. Marx believed that the solution to this problem was to abolish the notion of capitalism and replace it with socialism. Whilst Durkheim believed that capitalism challenges the ethical structure necessary for human life, and threatens to isolate individuals as anomic and therefore destroy their humanity as a moral cause. The solution to anomie could be provided within the existing framework of industrial society.
Durkheim distinguishes Anomie to be one of the major causes of suicide in modern societies, as well as egoism. Anomic suicide is described as the cause of insufficient social integration, whilst egoistic suicide is the effect of inadequate social regulation. However Marx defines Alienation in a different way: it is man’s ‘species being’ - With the coming of capitalism man is alienated from their essential conditions of life, they are in a sense separated from the ownership of their equipment, which are owned by the capitalist, they are separated from their own labour, that ends up as a product bought and sold for wages by the capitalist, they also become drawn away from the products of labour.
I have tried to show the concepts of alienation and anomie with the help of some of the writings from Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. There are a number of differences for example; Anomie is related to suicide and how people are tied and not ‘free’ from the modern competitive market, whereas Alienation is the feeling of separation from their work and they feel more of a spare part rather than an employee. Equally Anomie and Alienation are believed to be a result from industrialised capitalism; they are the outcome of pointless tasks, economic domination and exploitation. Both have a sensation of the inner-self boredom wanting more than what they already have and will never seem satisfied with what they get.
Both Durkheim and Marx have many valid ideas, and their perception provide a detailed insight into the nature of Anomie and Alienation. However their work shows that their arguments are not always regular and rational which in turn can cause confusion with the points in that they make.
Bibliography
-
Albrow, M. (1999) Sociology the basics, London: Routledge
-
Baldwin, et al. (1999) Introducing cultural studies , London: Prentice Hall
-
Bilton, et al. (1996) Introductory Sociology 3rd ed, London: Macmillan press LTD
-
Blauner, R. (1964) Alienation and freedom, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
-
Bottomore, T.B., Rubel, M.(eds) (1963) Karl Marx: Selected writings in sociology and social philosophy, Penguin: Harmondsworth
-
Calvert, C., Calvert, P. (1992) Sociology today, Hertfordshire: Harvester Wheatsheaf
-
Cohen, R., Kennedy, P. (2000) Global sociology, Bristol: Palgrave
-
Haralambos, M., Holborn, M. (2000) Sociology themes and perspectives 5th ed, London: Collins
- Lecture notes (2002-2003)
