Social Factors in E. Durkheim's Theory

Abstract

The object of this article is to clarify the changing meaning of 'social factor' in Emile Durkheim's sociological theory. The social factor was originally prescribed in the definition of collective conscience in his Social Division of Labor. Here, Durkheim's definition was to see in it the common elements of beliefs and sentiments of the same society. However, by this definition he could not explain the social factor behind the orgainzed society based on division of labor. Thus he introduced much ambiguous concept of 'cult of inbividual' and this individualistic element could become a kind of collective conscience. But by lack of precision, his concept of collective conscience has implied something superior over the individuality. His study of suicide presented this aspect clearly in his explanation of anomic suicide. From this point, his social factor has gradually changed its meaning and it was developed into some normative factor. This identification of social factor with normative factor became clear and of great importance in his progress of study in the field of moral and education. In his last work on religious life, his social factor has come to involve religious meaning. Here his 'collective conscience' has lost its original meaning as a analytical instrument arriving at a superior being over individual or the best which man has in himself. This transformation of the social factor was due to his methodological difficulty of separating the subjective element from the function element-action-which are the two components of the consensus in society.