Durkheim - Boundary Maintenance and Social Change

• Functionalists see society as based on value consensus.
• Value Consensus


  The idea that members of a society share common values and culture.
• Anomie


  A condition of instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values or from a lack of purpose or ideals.
• Collective Conscience


  The set of shared beliefs, ideas and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society.
• Durkheim argued that crime is inevitable because it helps to maintain social cohesion by providing the basis for shared moral values, which are necessary for social solidarity.
• Durkheim believed crime played two roles in society:

  1. Boundary Maintenance
  2. Enables Social Change
• Boundary Maintenance 


  Crime units society by disapproval of the wrongdoer and reinforcing their commitment to sharing norms and values.
• Enables Social Change

  All change starts with an act of deviance. There must be some scope for challenging existing norms.
• Modern societies tend towards anomie i.e. the rules governing behaviour become weaker. This is because modern societies have complex. This weakens the collective conscience.
• Durkheim thought that deviance would still exist in a 'society of saints' or 'perfect' individuals. The standards would be so high that the slightest slip would be regarded as a serious offence.
• Criticisms of Durkheim


  He suggests society needs a certain amount of deviance to function successfully but how much?

  He ignores how crime might affect different groups and individuals