 Alienation is defined to mean emotional dissociation and isolation and is marked by an inability to follow the rules of society or share in the values in society.  Alienation is said to occur because people have difficulty adapting to societal change

 Durkheim lived in a society in tremendous state of change (industrial revolution)  Used the term “anomie” to describe the condition of industrial workers who seemed to live without any roots or norms Emile Durkheim

 Wrote about alienation of the proletariat (working people) and the lumpenproletariat (unemployed people)  He believed that if those in power controlled aspects of the workers lives, then they will be content to not oppose  He also believed that if you “broke” the workers spirit– worked them continuously, they would be to exhausted to fight back or oppose  They would alienate themselves into loneliness through exhaustion Karl Marx

 Joining of cults or gangs  Anarchy/ Extremism - set out to destroy the society which they live through armed struggle Terrorists Contemporary Examples Of Alienation

 Conformity can be defined as adjusting one's behavior or thinking to match other people.  Many reasons why people conform, including the desire to be accepted by others

 Informational Influence- is the human desire to accept information that another admired person tells us is valid Parent or friend tell you that smoking is bad for your health

 Normative Influence- is the pressure to conform to the positive expectations of other. E.g. some people take jobs because they feel like they are expected to.

 Alienation can cause positive change Women’s movement was about change because of disatisfaction with social roles Forces Of Social Change

 Conformity has a tendency to discourage social change. E.g trying a new hairstyle  Nervous about reaction of others stifles desire to change Forces Of Social Change