Social facts are those that are based on ideas accepted by society. The term was defined by the French sociologist Emile Durkheim in 1985.
They are collective ideas learned by the population unconsciously. An example of this, the applause after a presentation, or saying “cheers” after sneezing.
Examples of social facts
1. Applause after a presentation.
In this act, people applaud after a performance or presentation. Without it being necessary to explain when and how to carry out this activity.
It is understood as an act of acceptance and liking by the public, not doing so can be seen as an act of contempt.
2. Electoral processes
Electoral processes are facts that mark the democracy of a state or nation.
In some legislations, they are processes that the citizen must comply with obligatorily, however, not participating is frowned upon and even rejected by society.
3. Economic crises
Economic crises are negative social events , which design a before and after in the socioeconomic processes of nations and even regions.
These processes radically change the commercial and interpersonal relationships of the population, generating psychological disorders such as depression, guilt and frustration.
These facts promote other violent social behaviors, which can even lead to government changes or unleash armed conflicts .
4. Violence
This process can be described as a social fact since it is a phenomenon that can be common locally or even at a national and regional level.
This phenomenon, very common in underdeveloped countries, alters the living conditions of society, leading it to generate negative behaviors ranging from fear to frustration.
Such behaviors can trigger the population to retaliate against criminals, generating even more social problems.
5. Terrorism
It is one of the most repudiated social facts worldwide. These are radical groups that exert pressure on nations and governments through extremely violent activities.
These arise from massive discontent, extreme nationalism and xenophobia.
These events can occur anywhere in the world, generating confusion, uncertainty and fear among the population.
6. Protests or demonstrations
They are understood as those manifestations of discontent of the population, and can be organized or carried out spontaneously.
Being its base the discontent of a considerable group of the population before a process that could be political, economic and even sanitary.
7. Religious signs
In this category, the most representative sign of the religion with the most faithful in the world, the sign of the cross, can be named.
Crossing oneself is a rule imposed by this religion as a sign of respect for their God.
It is considered a social fact, since it is part of the daily life of the Catholic, and can be used when receiving a blessing, when exalted by some news, even when entering a religious temple.
8. Nationalisms
They are those in which respect and admiration for the patriotic symbols of a nation are presented.
They are taken as social facts because they are part of the behavior of society.
However, they can have a negative side, when taken to the extreme, that is, feeling great love for the symbols or a deep rejection that leads to behaviors of contempt or citizen insubordination.
Types of social facts
to. currents of opinion
They are those composed of ideas and tendencies that lead society to have spontaneous ideas of a situation, being in most cases erroneous and subjective.
Examples of this are fashions, tastes in leisure activities based on criticism, among others.
b. Institutional
They are those who are part of society. Being recognized by the majority of the population, generally in a positive way.
The use of the sign of the cross by the Catholic faithful and the applause at the end of a function can be mentioned as an example.
w. Morphological
In this type of social events, societies are ordered and participate in certain activities according to the place where they operate. An example of them are the electoral processes.
Who was Emile Durkheim?
The sociologist and educator Emile Durkheim was the developer of the concept of social facts in sociology.
Born in Epinal in 1858, he established himself as a professor at the University of Bordeaux in 1886, in the subjects of social science and social philosophy.
He founded the magazine L’annee sociologique in 1902, being appointed professor in the chair of educational sciences at the University of Paris, until his death in 1917.
Among his works, his doctoral thesis in 1893, titled the Division of Social Work, highlighting the dehumanization of work for the welfare of society.
In 1895 he published his most important work: The Rules of the Sociological Method, in which he included the social fact.
