Anomie - Durkheim/Merton and Taxi Driver

In the concept of anomie, Durkheim best manifested his concern with the problems of a weakened common reality. Individuals are said to be confronted with anomie when they are not faced with sufficient moral constraint, this is when they do not have a clear concept of what is and what is not proper and acceptable behavior. (p 82 Ritzer)


For Durkheim anomie is pathology associated with the rise of organic solidarity. They can more easily cease to feel a common bond with those who work and live around them. (p 82)


(Here also we can remember about anomic suicide. It occurs because of the decline in collective morality and lack of sufficient external regulation of the individual to restrain his or her passions)


We found very interesting discussion of anomie by Merton within structural functionalism. His analysis of the relationship between culture, structure and anomie connects well to “Taxi Driver”.


Merton defines culture as the organized set of normative values governing behavior which is common to members of a designated society or group and social structure as that organized set of social relationships which members of society or group are variously implicated. Anomie occurs when there is an acute disjunction between the cultural norms and goals the socially structured capacities of members of the group to act in accord with them. (p 247)


So, because of their position in the social structure of society, some people are unable to act in accord with normative values. The culture calls some type of behavior that the social structure prevents from occurring. (Pp 247-248)


More specifically, Merton links anomie with deviance and thereby is arguing that disjunctions between culture and structure have the dysfunctional consequence of leading to deviance within society (p 250)


Source:

Ritzer, George. 2000. Sociological Theory; McGraw – Hill, New York



For further information about anomie and its discussion in Merton’s work see: Social theory and social structure. 1968. New York; Free Press