What is the collective conscience in Durkheim's functionalist theory?

The shared norms, values, and beliefs that bind members of society together, which religion reinforces through collective worship and rituals.

How does collective worship function according to Durkheim?

It reinforces shared values and reminds individuals of their common beliefs, strengthening the collective conscience.

What do sacred symbols represent according to Durkheim?

Sacred symbols represent society itself—when people worship sacred objects, they are actually worshipping their own society.

How do religious rituals create social cohesion?

By bringing people together in collective activities that reinforce shared beliefs and create a sense of belonging to a moral community.

What did Durkheim mean by religion integrating individuals into a moral community?

Religion binds individuals together through shared sacred beliefs and practices, creating solidarity and a sense of collective identity.

What did Durkheim's study of totemism among Australian Aboriginal peoples demonstrate?

That the totem represents the clan itself, showing that religion is essentially society worshipping itself.

AQA A-Level Sociology 7192

Education

Topic overview The role and functions of education Class differences in educational achievement Labelling, subcultures and processes within schools Gender and educational achievement Ethnicity and educational achievement Selection and marketisation Privatisation and vocational education Educational policy, equality and globalisation

Methods in Context

Topic overview Access, gatekeepers and research ethics in schools Choosing methods for research in schools Data, theory and validity in educational research

Theory and Methods

Topic overview Research design and choosing a method Sources of data and types of data Positivism, interpretivism and research ethics Consensus, conflict, structural and social action theories Modernity and post-modernity Is sociology a science?Objectivity, value freedom and social policy

Culture and IdentityOptional topic

Topic overview Conceptions of culture Socialisation and the agencies of socialisation The self, identity and difference Identity, age, disability, ethnicity, gender and class Identity, production, consumption and globalisation

Families and HouseholdsOptional topic

Topic overview Functionalist views of the family Marxist and feminist views of the family The New Right, postmodernism and family policy Marriage, cohabitation and divorce Family diversity and the personal life perspective Conjugal roles and domestic labour Power relationships and domestic violence The social construction of childhood Birth rates and death rates Family size and the ageing population Migration and globalisation

HealthOptional topic

Topic overview The social construction of health and models of illness Class and gender inequalities in health Ethnic and regional inequality, and access to health care Mental illness and the power of the medical profession The sick role and the globalised health industry

Work, Poverty and WelfareOptional topic

Topic overview Poverty: definitions, explanations and distribution The welfare state and welfare provision The division of labour and the control of work Work, worklessness and life chances Globalisation and the global division of labour

Beliefs in SocietyOptional topic

Topic overview Ideology and science as belief systems Functionalist views of religion Marxist and feminist views of religion Religion as a force for social change Churches, sects, denominations and cults New religious movements and New Age movements Religion, gender, ethnicity, age and social class Secularisation Believing without belonging and postmodern religion Globalisation, fundamentalism and religion worldwide

Global DevelopmentOptional topic

Topic overview Theories of development and underdevelopment Globalisation, transnational corporations and aid agencies Aid, trade, industrialisation and urbanisation Environment, conflict and human development Population, gender and postcolonial critiques

The MediaOptional topic

Topic overview The new media and its significance Ownership, control and media globalisation The selection and presentation of the news Media representations of social groups Media effects and models of the audience Reception analysis and selective filtering

Stratification and DifferentiationOptional topic

Topic overview Theories of stratification Life chances and dimensions of inequality Defining and measuring social class Changing structures of inequality and globalisation Social mobility

Crime and Deviance

Beliefs in Society

Functionalist views of religion

1 thing to know
Paper 2

Overview

Durkheim on the collective conscience and the sacred, Malinowski, Parsons, and civil religion.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Evaluation

How does religion reinforce the collective conscience, according to Durkheim?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is the collective conscience in Durkheim's functionalist theory?
Model answer
The shared norms, values, and beliefs that bind members of society together, which religion reinforces through collective worship and rituals.
2
How does collective worship function according to Durkheim?
Model answer
It reinforces shared values and reminds individuals of their common beliefs, strengthening the collective conscience.
3
What do sacred symbols represent according to Durkheim?
Model answer
Sacred symbols represent society itself—when people worship sacred objects, they are actually worshipping their own society.
4
How do religious rituals create social cohesion?
Model answer
By bringing people together in collective activities that reinforce shared beliefs and create a sense of belonging to a moral community.
5
What did Durkheim mean by religion integrating individuals into a moral community?
Model answer
Religion binds individuals together through shared sacred beliefs and practices, creating solidarity and a sense of collective identity.
6
What did Durkheim's study of totemism among Australian Aboriginal peoples demonstrate?
Model answer
That the totem represents the clan itself, showing that religion is essentially society worshipping itself.

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