When a social system is in a state of anomie, common values and common meanings are no longer understood or accepted, and new values and meanings have not developed.

Under the condition of anomie, the individual "aspires to everything and is satisfied with nothing."

In commercial sectors, where far-reaching economic goals are continually sought and "greed is aroused without knowing where to find ultimate foothold," the lack of regulation over material desires becomes a constant state of anomie.

Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia.
Quotes are from Durkheim, Émile. Suicide. New York: Free Press, 1951.

Photos taken in or near Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa and Niagara Falls, September 2005 – present.
Photos © 2013 David Smith. All rights reserved.