Durkheim believes that change may occur through adaption or integration. It is, described as evolutionary (gradual).
For changes to take place effictively, it has to be gradual, and given a period of time.
Durkheim also stressed that order and equilibrium are normal to society. Disequilibrium is an abnormal social state, and considered a ‘sickness’ in a living organism. If civil wars were to happen frequently, a society would not be able to function ‘normally’. The whole system would eventually break down due to its instability.
Other than that, society is regarded a system. Each part, wlil in someway, affect every other part, and the whole system as well. If the system were to survive, its’ various parts must be compatible or have some degree of tolerance with one another.
For example, workers must get along with their employers. Should a strike break out, prodution stops and employer will suffer losses. Consumers are also affected by the limited amount of the certain product available. Without prompt action, the company could go bankrupt, and the workers would end up jobless. It is a cycle where one party’s actions would definitely affect the other (party).
The most agreeable theory by Durkheim is that society still operates as a biological organism. Social institutions function in combination with one another, for the benefit of the whole society.
