Karl Marx And Emile Durkheim's Conflict Theory

Holly Kinsella

13528163

Q.2

Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim developed very different sociological theories of how society evolves over time. Marx brought around the conflict theory and became the head of the sociological discipline of Marxism. Durkheim was a French Functionalist, meaning he looked at society in a scientific way. Although Marx and Durkheim had different ways of thinking about society, both have contributed significantly to the way we study sociology today.

Karl Marx was a German philosopher who became the head of the sociological discipline of Marxism. Marxism is defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as ‘’the political, economic, and social theories of Karl Marx including the belief that the struggle between social classes

The concept has been widely used by sociologists since. Anome is a French word which means normlessness or a state without rules or regulations. One of Durkheim 's most famous studies was concerned with the analysis of suicide. Durkheim showed that social factors employ a fundamental influence on suicidal behaviour. Durkheim defined suicide as "every case of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act performed by the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result" (Aragwal, 2012). Anomic suicide occurs when there is lack of regulation in the society. This type of suicide is dell to a sudden breakdown of the social equilibrium such as sudden business depression. Therefore we can say that this type of suicide is triggered by disastrous change in the life of an individual. Egoistic suicide occurs when an individual feels very isolated from the social group. It results from the lack of integration of the individual into his or her social group. It is greatly seen in modern society. Altruistic suicide happens when there is excessive regulation of individuals by social forces. An example would be someone who commits suicide for the sake of a religious or political cause (Anderson & Taylor,