Social pathology is a term in social psychology that denotes abnormal human behavior that is harmful or dangerous to society.
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The emergence of the term
The term social pathology was introduced by a 19th-century French sociologist Emil Durkheim . He is the author of the concept of social deviation , the fundamental difference between which from social pathology is that deviant behavior , although deviating from the norm, does not harm society. Thus, behavior that violates the social order, contributing to the undermining and decline of morality, can be considered as pathological. Durkheim also spoke about social pathology as the other side of the norm and noted its relative subjectivity, since the concept of the norm varies greatly in different cultures and societies.
Manifestations of social pathology
Pathological for society include the following phenomena:
- Aggressive behavior
- Cruelty and sadism
- Different kinds of dependencies and addictive behavior, for example:
- alcoholism
- addiction
- gambling addiction
- Suicide
- Radical ideas based on concepts prohibited by law
- Attempts at propaganda , whitewashing, and romanticizing all of the above
See also
- Social Psychology
- Social norm
- Deviant behavior
- Psychopathology
- Addiction