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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.

Conscience, a French word, may be translated in the English language as conscience or conscious. It may also refer to awareness or perception. Some choose to use the word conscience as a untranslatable technical term or foreign word without considering its meaning in English. Generally, it does not reference moral conscience, but an understanding that is shared when it comes to social norms. When it comes to the word collective, Durkheim clearly states that he is not hypostatizing or reifying the concept. To him, this word merely refers to something common to most individuals, a social fact.

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.

The concept and term is used outside of the social theory presented by Durkheim. There are several things categorized under this term that represent society of the modern day. This term is used by parapsychologists and sociologists.

Mary Kelsey is a lecturer of sociology who employed the term in the early 2000s. She used this word to describe people who exist in a social group and are aware of the shared circumstances and traits. Said awareness leads people to act as a community in order to have solidarity. Instead of living as an individual, people join forces to create groups that are dynamic and share 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.

The term collective consciousness was first used in the 1890s by sociologist Emile Durkheim. The Frenchman used this term to refer to shared ideas, beliefs and moral attitudes within societies. This concept has been used by other psychologists and sociologists to identify various theories and ideas.




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