{"id":8398,"date":"2020-06-03T18:03:46","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T12:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?p=8398"},"modified":"2025-07-16T16:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T10:55:56","slug":"emile-durkheim-social-fact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/","title":{"rendered":"Emile Durkheim: Social Fact"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Emile_Durkheim_Social_Fact\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Emile Durkheim: Social Fact<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relevant_for_Sociology_Optional_UPSC_Sociological_Thinkers\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>(Relevant for Sociology Optional UPSC: Sociological Thinkers)<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >What's Inside this Blog!<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Emile_Durkheim_Social_Fact\" title=\"Emile Durkheim: Social Fact\">Emile Durkheim: Social Fact<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Relevant_for_Sociology_Optional_UPSC_Sociological_Thinkers\" title=\"(Relevant for Sociology Optional UPSC: Sociological Thinkers)\">(Relevant for Sociology Optional UPSC: Sociological Thinkers)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Introduction\" title=\"Introduction\">Introduction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Durkheim_and_Social_Fact\" title=\"Durkheim and Social Fact\">Durkheim and Social Fact<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Common_Social_Facts\" title=\"Common Social Facts\">Common Social Facts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Social_Facts_and_Religion\" title=\"Social Facts and Religion\">Social Facts and Religion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Social_Fact_and_Control\" title=\"Social Fact and Control\">Social Fact and Control<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/emile-durkheim-social-fact\/#Read_more_Blogs\" title=\"Read more Blogs:\">Read more Blogs:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25942 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Untitled-design-22.png\" alt=\"Emile Durkheim: Social Fact by Vikash Ranjan sir at Triumph IAS, UPSC Sociology Optional\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Untitled-design-22.png 1080w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Untitled-design-22-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Untitled-design-22-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Untitled-design-22-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Untitled-design-22-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Social fact is a theory developed by sociologist Emile Durkheim to describe how values, culture, and norms control the actions and beliefs of individuals and society as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Durkheim_and_Social_Fact\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Durkheim and Social Fact<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>In his book, &#8220;The Rules of Sociological Method,&#8221;<\/strong>\u00a0Durkheim outlined social fact, and the book became one of the foundational texts of sociology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>He defined sociology as the study of social facts, which he said were the actions of society.<\/strong> Social facts are the reason why people within a society seem to choose to do the same basic things; e.g., where they live, what they eat, and how they interact. The society they belong to shapes them to do these things, continuing social facts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_Social_Facts\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; background-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Common Social Facts<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25943 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts.png\" alt=\"Common Social Facts by Vikash Ranjan sir at Triumph IAS, UPSC Sociology Optional\" width=\"2186\" height=\"1157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts.png 2186w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts-1024x542.png 1024w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts-150x79.png 150w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts-768x406.png 768w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts-1536x813.png 1536w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Common-Social-Facts-2048x1084.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2186px) 100vw, 2186px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Durkheim used many examples to demonstrate his theory of social facts, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Marriage:\u00a0<\/strong>Social groups tend to have the same ideas toward\u00a0marriage, such as the appropriate age to get married and what a ceremony should look like. Attitudes that violate those social facts, such as bigamy or polygamy in the Western world, are regarded with disgust.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Language:<\/strong>\u00a0People living in the same area tend to speak the same language. In fact, they can develop and pass on their own dialect and idioms. Years later, those norms can identify someone as being part of a particular region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Religion:<\/strong>\u00a0Social facts shape how we view religion. Different areas have different religious strongholds, with faith being a regular part of life, and other religions are considered foreign and strange.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Social_Facts_and_Religion\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Social Facts and Religion<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">One of the areas Durkheim explored thoroughly was religion. He looked at the social facts of suicide rates in Protestant and Catholic communities. Catholic communities view suicide as one of the worst sins, and as such, have much lower suicide rates than Protestants. Durkheim believed the difference in suicide rates showed the influence of social facts and culture on actions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Some of his research in the area has been questioned in recent years, but his suicide research was groundbreaking and shed light on how society affects our individual attitudes and actions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Social_Fact_and_Control\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Social Fact and Control<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Social fact is a technique of control. Societal norms shape our attitudes, beliefs, and actions. They inform what we do every day, from who we befriend to how we work. It&#8217;s a complex and embedded construct that keeps us from stepping outside the norm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Social fact is what makes us react strongly to people who deviate from social attitudes. <strong>For example,<\/strong> people in other countries who have no established home, and instead wander from place to place and take odd jobs. Western societies tend to view these people as odd and strange based on our social facts, when in their culture, what they&#8217;re doing is completely normal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">What is a social fact in one culture can be abhorrently strange in another; by keeping in mind how society influences your beliefs, you can temper your reactions to what is different.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><span class=\"amp-wp-303d451\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;\">To Read more topics like Sociology: Urban Social Structure<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"amp-wp-303d451\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;\">in Public Posts, visit:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?amp=1\">www.triumphias.com\/blogs<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Read_more_Blogs\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Read more Blogs:<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"PE3GMKyy1v\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/discovery-of-micro-rna\/\">Discovery of Micro RNA | Sociology Optional Coaching | Vikash Ranjan Classes | Triumph IAS | UPSC Sociology Optional<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; 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&#8212; TriumphIAS\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/components-of-population-growth-birth-death-migration\/embed\/#?secret=pIzYrzkhZR#?secret=VormN1ut2Q\" data-secret=\"VormN1ut2Q\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emile Durkheim: Social Fact (Relevant for Sociology Optional UPSC: Sociological Thinkers) Introduction Social fact is a theory developed by sociologist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114,115],"tags":[4905,928,9385,3734,4580,336,919,540],"class_list":["post-8398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sociology-optional","category-sociology-optional-paper-i","tag-collective-consciousness","tag-emile-durkheim","tag-social-fact","tag-social-norms","tag-social-structures","tag-society","tag-sociological-theory","tag-sociology"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8398"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25944,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8398\/revisions\/25944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}