Which term describes a breakdown of norms leading to normlessness?

• A. Anomie
• B. Power
• C. Social Integration
• D. Capitalism

Answer: (A)

Anomie is a condition in which the norms that guide behavior lose their power or clarity. When society undergoes rapid change, upheaval, or disruption of institutions, the shared expectations about how to act become unclear or conflicting. That breakdown leaves individuals feeling adrift, unsure of what’s acceptable, and more prone to deviant or unstable behavior because there’s no solid social compass to follow. This idea, developed by Durkheim, highlights how norm stability keeps social life coherent, and how its loss leads to normlessness. By contrast, power is about who controls resources, social integration is about how tightly people are connected to a group, and capitalism is an economic system—none of these specifically capture the breakdown of norms that leads to normlessness.