Relating to or characterized by anomie, which is a state of society where normal laws and social standards have broken down or lost their importance.
From French 'anomique,' derived from Greek 'anomia' (lawlessness) combining 'a-' (without) and 'nomos' (law). The term gained prominence in 19th-century sociology through Émile Durkheim's work on social breakdown.
Durkheim originally used 'anomie' to explain suicide rates—he found that during sudden economic booms or crashes, when society's rules seemed to crumble, suicide actually increased because people lost their moral compass. It's wild that too much sudden freedom or chaos can actually harm people.
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