Sociology Society And Social Sciences

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks for the core argument of Emile Durkheim's famous sociological study, "Suicide" (1897).
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Durkheim's central thesis was to demonstrate that sociology was a legitimate science. To do this, he took a phenomenon that seemed intensely personal and individual—suicide—and showed that its rates could be explained by societal factors.
(A) It is based on individual mindset: This is a psychological explanation. Durkheim explicitly argued against this, stating that while individual psychology is involved in a specific case, it cannot explain the stable suicide rates across different societies and groups.
(B) It is based on biological anomaly: This is a biological explanation, which Durkheim also refuted using statistical data.
(C) It is influenced by social causes: This is the cornerstone of his theory. Durkheim identified two key social forces: social integration (the degree to which individuals are part of a group) and social regulation (the degree of external constraint on people). He argued that abnormally high or low levels of these social forces lead to different types of suicide (egoistic, altruistic, anomic, fatalistic). Thus, suicide is a social fact, explained by other social facts.
(D) It is more prevalent in western countries: This may have been an empirical observation Durkheim used as evidence, but it is not the \textit{cause}. The cause, according to him, was the specific social conditions (like higher individualism or 'anomie' in modern Western societies), not the geographical location itself.
Step 3: Final Answer:
According to Emile Durkheim, the cause of suicide lies not in the individual, but in social causes, specifically the levels of social integration and regulation.

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks about Max Weber's multidimensional theory of social stratification, specifically how he distinguished between 'class' and 'status group' ('Stände').
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Weber argued that social stratification is not just about economics. He identified three distinct dimensions: \begin{enumerate} Class: This is determined by a person's economic position and life chances in the market economy. It is purely an economic category. (Related to Option D) Status (Status Group): This is based on social honour and prestige. Status groups are communities of people who share a common lifestyle and are accorded a certain level of social esteem. For example, intellectuals and military officers might have high status but not necessarily high class position. (Related to Option B) Party: This refers to groups organized to acquire social power and influence decision-making. \end{enumerate} The question asks on what basis classes and status groups are differentiated. The primary basis of differentiation for a status group is its unique lifestyle and the social honour it receives, which is distinct from the purely economic basis of a class. While "market economy" is the basis for class, "lifestyles" is the most direct answer for the basis of status groups, which is the key point of differentiation from class. Therefore, lifestyles are the basis on which status groups are formed and differentiated from economic classes. Step 3: Final Answer:
According to Max Weber, status groups are differentiated primarily based on their distinct lifestyles and the social honour associated with them, which contrasts with the economic market position that defines classes.