Editing Anomie (section)

== Social disorder ==

Nineteenth-century [[France|French]] [[sociologist]] [[Émile Durkheim]] borrowed the term ''anomie'' from French philosopher [[Jean-Marie Guyau]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Orru|first=Marco.|author-link=Orru Marco|date=1983|title=The Ethics of Anomie: Jean Marie Guyau and Émile Durkheim|journal=The British Journal of Sociology|volume=34|issue=4|pages=499–518|doi=10.2307/590936|jstor=590936}}</ref> Durkheim used it in his influential book ''[[Suicide (Durkheim book)|Suicide]]'' (1897) in order to outline the social (and not individual) causes of [[suicide]], characterized by a rapid change of the standards or values of societies (often erroneously referred to as ''normlessness''), and an associated feeling of [[Social alienation|alienation]] and purposelessness. He believed that ''anomie'' is common when the surrounding society has undergone significant changes in its economic fortunes, whether for better or for worse and, more generally, when there is a significant discrepancy between the ideological theories and values commonly professed and what was actually achievable in everyday life. This was contrary to previous theories on suicide which generally maintained that suicide was precipitated by negative events in a person's life and their subsequent [[clinical depression|depression]].

In Durkheim's view, traditional [[religion]]s often provided the basis for the shared values which the anomic individual lacks. Furthermore, he argued that the [[division of labor]] that had been prevalent in economic life since the [[Industrial Revolution]] led individuals to pursue [[egotism|egoistic]] ends rather than seeking the good of a larger community. [[Robert King Merton]] also adopted the idea of anomie to develop [[Strain theory (sociology)|strain theory]], defining it as the discrepancy between common social goals and the legitimate means to attain those goals. In other words, an individual suffering from anomie would strive to attain the common goals of a specific society yet would not be able to reach these goals legitimately because of the [[structuralism|structural]] limitations in society. As a result, the individual would exhibit [[deviance (sociology)|deviant behavior]]. [[Friedrich Hayek]] notably uses the word ''anomie'' with this meaning.

According to one academic survey, [[Psychometrics|psychometric]] testing confirmed a link between anomie and [[academic dishonesty]] among university students, suggesting that universities needed to foster codes of ethics among students in order to curb it.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1108/09513540010310378 |title=The effect of anomie on academic dishonesty among university students |date=2000 |last1=Caruana |first1=Albert |last2=Ramaseshan |first2=B. |last3=Ewing |first3=Michael T. |journal=International Journal of Educational Management |volume=14 |pages=23–30 }}</ref> In another study, anomie was seen as a "push factor" in tourism.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Anomie, ego-enhancement and tourism |author=Graham M. S. Dann |journal=Annals of Tourism Research |volume=4 |issue=4 |date=March–April 1977 |pages=184–194 |quote= travel has the advantage of permitting the traveller to behave in a manner normally circumvented by the dictates of convention. When on holiday the tourist can overstep the bounds of fashion, tell a few stories normally deemed improper or inappropriate, wear flashy clothes, eat exotic food, get drunk, become more sexually permissive, alter his timetable, stay up half the night, listen to loud local music, etc., in short, indulge in those kinds of behavior generally frowned upon in his home environment. |url=https://www.academia.edu/1534649 |doi=10.1016/0160-7383(77)90037-8 }}</ref>

As an older variant, the 1913 ''[[Webster's Dictionary]]'' reports use of the word ''anomie'' as meaning "disregard or violation of the law."<ref>Roberts, A. H., and M. Rokeach. 1956. "Anomie, authoritarianism, and prejudice: A replication." ''[[American Journal of Sociology]]''.</ref> However, ''anomie'' as a social disorder is not to be confused with [[anarchy]]: proponents of [[anarchism]] claim that anarchy does not necessarily lead to anomie and that [[Hierarchy|hierarchical]] command actually increases lawlessness. Some [[anarcho-primitivism|anarcho-primitivists]] argue that complex societies, particularly industrial and post-industrial societies, directly cause conditions such as anomie by depriving the individual of [[self-determination]] and a relatively small reference group to relate to, such as the band, clan or tribe.

In 2003, José Soltero and Romeo Saravia analyzed the concept of anomie in regards to Protestantism and Catholicism in [[El Salvador]]. Massive displacement of population in the 1970s, economic and political crises as well as cycles of violence are credited with radically changing the religious composition of the country, rendering it one of the most Protestant countries in [[Latin America]]. According to Soltero and Saravia, the rise of Protestantism is conversationally claimed to be caused by a Catholic failure to "address the spiritual needs of the poor" and the Protestant "deeper quest for salvation, liberation, and eternal life".<ref name="soltero">{{cite journal|last1=Soltero|first1=José|last2=Saravia|first2=Romeo|date=2003|title=Dimensions of Social Stratification and Anomie as Factors of Religious Affiliation in El Salvador|journal=Sociology of Religion|volume=64|issue=1|pages=1–19|doi=10.2307/3712266|jstor=3712266 }}</ref> However, their research does not support these claims, and showed that Protestantism is not more popular amongst the poor. Their findings do confirm the assumptions of anomie, with Catholic communities of El Salvador enjoying high social cohesion, while the Protestant communities have been associated with poorer social integration, internal migration and tend to be places deeply affected by the [[Salvadoran Civil War]].<ref name="soltero"/> Additionally, Soltero and Saravia found that Salvadoran Catholicism is tied to social activism, [[Liberation Theology|liberation theology]] and the political left, as opposed to the "right wing political orientation, or at least a passive, personally inward orientation, expressed by some Protestant churches".<ref name="soltero"/> They conclude that their research contradicts the theory that Protestantism responds to the spiritual needs of the poor more adequately than Catholicism, while also disproving the claim that Protestantism appeals more to women:
{{blockquote|These outcomes contradict the theory that Protestantism responds to the spiritual needs of the poor (Shaull and Cesar 2001; Smith, 1998; Vazquez 2000) more adequately than Catholicism in El Salvador's less resourceful suburban areas. In fact, the results indicate that individuals of different resource levels, among the sample studied, have no real preference between Protestantism and Catholicism for the most part. Hence, believers' spiritual needs may or may not take them to another church, independently of their social class background, as demonstrated by the existence of Protestant churches with middle and upper middle class constituencies (Cleary 1992; Garrard-Burnett 1998). In a study of Guatemalan highland Maya, Smith (1998) reports no differences in lifestyle between poor Protestants and poor Catholic.{{nbsp}}[...] There is no difference between men and women in terms of their likelihood of joining a non-Catholic church (Protestant or otherwise) or being non-religious, rather than being Catholic. Indeed, Peterson (2001:30) argues that in El Salvador, "progressive Catholic communities offer many women support, both material and moral, for their efforts to cope with domestic problems such as a husband's departure or alcoholism."<ref name="soltero"/>}}
The study by Soltero and Saravia has also found a link between Protestantism and no access to healthcare:
{{blockquote|When people have access to medical care in their community, joining Protestant churches is less likely, but if access to medical care exists only outside their community the probability of joining a Protestant church increases.{{nbsp}}[...] Indeed, [[faith healing]] seems to be an important aspect of Protestant churches' attraction to believers (Chesnut 1997; Vizquez 1998), as well as the provision of a more traditional kind of medical assistance to the public (Smith 1998).<ref name="soltero"/>}}