justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

Anomie

Every once in a while, I recall something learned in one of my college courses.

Tragedies like the Orlando nightclub and Charleston church shootings elicit the recall… events perpetrated by individuals who seemed to have acted from an absence of morality, with little guidance from the norms of the majority of ordinary people.

I wonder if the term “anomie” would apply?  

My Criminology course from my Sociology studies examined Anomie, a term coined by Émile Durkheim that describes the absence of social norms, often resulting in the expression of rejection, that could include a deadly response as well.

We spend hours trying to identify the cause of these tragedies, looking for the “why”, as if this identification could help provide some understanding of a person’s actions.

From my work with youth in the Boys Clubs, YMCA, and throughout my teaching and training career, I’ve always been intrigued with the vast differences of morals and values that are instilled in vulnerable young people by family and relationships. Fortunately, I’ve not been directly impacted by this absence of social norms, and I haven’t had to counsel others in this regard either.

I hope and pray that this condition of anomie remains only a theory in my life.