Yes — the idea that patterned behavior can, after a point, take the shape of a social fact is deeply rooted in Émile Durkheim's sociology. Here's how to understand and express this idea clearly, especially for UPSC or sociological analysis:
"Patterned behavior, after a point, becomes a social fact."
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Patterned Behavior | Repetitive, habitual actions shared across members of a society. Initially may emerge from individual choices. |
| Becomes Social Fact | Over time, these behaviors gain externality, constraint, and generality—hallmarks of a social fact as defined by Durkheim. |
| Durkheim's View | He argued that social facts are ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside the individual, yet coerce them. They are collective in origin, but individuals internalize them through socialization. |
| Domain | Patterned Behavior | When it Becomes Social Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Parents sending children to school | Universal expectation → Law mandates schooling (Right to Education) |
| Marriage | Marrying within caste | Becomes a social norm, deviation punished via exclusion or violence |
| Festivals | Celebrating Diwali, Eid | Seen as collective ritual; missing out is socially odd |
| Work Culture | 9–5 job routine | Structured workweek becomes default model of employment |
Initially Voluntary → Becomes Normative:
What starts as individual practices, when repeated and shared, develop moral authority over individuals.
Reinforced by Institutions:
Schools, family, religion, media, and law start reinforcing these behaviors as "how things should be".