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anomie| In the social sciences, a state of ‘normlessness’ created by the breakdown of commonly agreed standards of behaviour and morality; the term often refers to situations where the social order appears to have collapsed. The concept was developed by French sociologist Emile Durkheim. |
| Durkheim used ‘anomie’ to describe societies in transition during industrialization. The term was adapted by US sociologist Robert Merton to explain deviance and crime in the USA as a result of the disparity between high goals and limited opportunities. |
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