Sunday, November 10, 2013

General Information On Collective Consciousness

By Sonya Riley


Collective consciousness, which may be written as collective conscience, is used when referencing a set of shared beliefs, moral attitudes and ideas. Such shared things serve as an undivided source among different societies. The term was originally used by Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist who wrote about this concept in his book Division of Labor in Society, which was published during the early 1890s.

The French word conscience is comparable to, and translated as, conscious or conscience in English. It may also be defined as perception or awareness in this language. Some people use the word conscience as if it is a non-translatable foreign word or technical term. In general, it is not relate to moral conscience, but instead, a shared understanding in terms of social norms. As far as collective, Durkheim made it clear that he is not reifying or hypostatizing this concept. For him, the word refers to a social fact, something common to most people.

Durkheim use this terminology frequently in the literature that he published, including four books: The Division of Labor in Society, Suicide, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, and Rules of Sociological Method. He believed that in primitive or traditional societies, which are based around tribal, family or clan relationships, there is a totemic religion that plays a major part in uniting the members. This is done through the development of a common consciousness. In such societies, the contents of consciousness of a person is largely shared with other members of a society. This is what creates a mechanical solidarity because of shared likeness.

This term and concept is applied in areas outside of Durkheimian social theory. There are many things classified under this terminology that are present in societies of the modern day that other sociologists have found. The term is even employed by parapsychologists.

Sociology lecturer Mary Kelsey employed this term in the early portion of the 2000s in order to describe individuals in a social group becoming aware of the shared circumstances and shared traits. As a result of this awareness, these people acted as a community to achieve solidarity. Instead of existing as separate beings, persons come together to form dynamic groups in order to share both resources and knowledge.

A newer theory being used suggests that character of consciousness is connected to the form of mnemonic encoding in a group. For instance, groups that are cohesive and have informal set ups usually present major facets of society as episodic memories. This influences that collective ideologies and behaviors, which often leads to indulgent atmosphere, solidarity and exclusive ethos.

In societies, there are many collective groups, such as: family, community, organizations, nations and regions. Such units have their own capabilities to judge, reflect, conceptualize, think, reform and act. The different behaviors perceived among the groups will range based on varying consciousness. That is, variations that exist are believed to have practical meaning.

Collective consciousness is a term that was coined in the 1890s by Emile Durkheim. This French sociologist applied the term when referencing shared beliefs, moral attitudes and ideas among societies. The concept has been employed by other sociologists and psychologists when referencing various ideas and theories of the modern day.




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