Since anomie has been brought to the table

[Kai Frederik Lorentzen]

Don't know about your specific type of think tank, but of course there's 
Robert K. Merton, one of the most important sociologists of the 20th 
century, who referred to Durkheim's concept of anomie and transfered it 
to his theory of deviance (still used in today's criminology) in 1938. 
Merton defines anomie as "an acute disjunction between the cultural 
norms and goals and the socially structured capacities of the members of 
the group to act in accord with them". So there is no continuity between 
cultural goals and the required means. At least not when you stay with 
legitimate and legal means. So some - think Pacino in Scarface - become 
criminals to fulfill their American Dream --


On 07.01.2012 16:35, Paul Mackin wrote:

>>
> The staff sociologist at the think tank i was at used to use the word 
> to described the psychological state of workers brought about by the 
> meaninglessness of industrial work.
>
> Lack of rule was extended to mean lack of meaning.
>
> He quoted Durkheim sometimes.
>
>
>