This paper examines three foundational theoretical pillars associated with Émile Durkheim, widely regarded as the father of sociology: functionalism, positivism, and control theory. The paper explains how Durkheim viewed society as a governing structure that shapes and constrains individual behavior, and how he believed sociology operates as an empirical science subject to the same rigor as natural sciences. Drawing on Durkheim's landmark study of suicide rates across religious and marital groups, the paper illustrates how social integration and collective norms influence individual behavior. The author concludes by affirming personal alignment with Durkheim's perspective that society, through its complex structures, is the primary determinant of human conduct.
Émile Durkheim was a significant contributor to the field of sociology. In fact, he is considered by many to be the father of sociology. Durkheim was a proponent of functionalism in that he believed the individual was not as important as the social structure in determining behavior. Functionalists also hold that sociology is a science — a position known as positivism — and that society is built "around a value consensus and social solidarity which is achieved by socialization and social control" (Bryant, 2012, p. 1). Durkheim is further defined by his belief in control theory, which stresses that individual behavior is determined by outside social influences and is thus controlled by society rather than by the individual (Bryant, 2012, p. 1). Durkheim is most closely aligned with the author's own beliefs because of his commitments to control theory, functionalism, and positivism.
Positivism holds that sociology is a science and, as such, is governed by the same rules that govern scientific inquiry (Bryant, 2012, p. 1). Essentially, facts must speak for themselves by being measurable and testable. Moreover, the results of observation will not necessarily confirm a given hypothesis (Bryant, 2012, p. 1). Because sociology is a science, if the facts do not support a theory, the theory must be revised to reflect the actual results of empirical observation. Durkheim therefore believed that human behavior is predictable and measurable across various situations, and he strongly emphasized empirical study in the social sciences (Bryant, 2012, p. 1).
A clear example of Durkheim's commitment to positivism is found in Suicide and the methodology he employed to study rates of suicide among Catholics versus Protestants and other culturally diverse groups (Durkheim, 1897, p. 14). Durkheim found that suicide rates are lower among Catholics than among Protestants, and also lower among married individuals than among single people (Durkheim, 1897, p. 14). These findings, according to Durkheim, support the view that society comprises a complex structure and that the individual is governed by the structure of the society in which he or she lives (Durkheim, 1897, p. 14).
Where the social structure is weak, individual behavior is more likely to be aberrant than in contexts where a strong social structure binds individuals to a community (Durkheim, 1897, p. 14). Durkheim reasoned that Catholics, as a group, more fully integrate individuals into the collective and maintain more exacting rules of behavior — defining what is and is not acceptable — than Protestants do (Durkheim, 1897, p. 14). To Durkheim, this explained why Catholics in his study exhibited a lower rate of suicide than Protestants (Turner, 2002, p. 457).
"External social forces shaping individual behavior"
"Synthesis of Durkheim's three core theoretical pillars"
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