Sociological attention to emotion has varied over time. Emilé Durkheim (1915/1965) wrote about the collective effervescence or emotional energy that was experienced by members of totemic rituals in Australian aborigine society. He explained how the heightened state of emotional energy achieved during totemic rituals transported individuals above themselves giving them the sense that they were in the presence of a higher power, a force, that was embedded in the sacred objects that were worshipped. These feelings of exaltation, he argued, ultimately lead people to believe that there were forces that governed sacred objects. COUNT 4
QSN1 Who discussed the idea of a collective effervescence? ANS1 Emilé Durkheim QSN2 What society was studied to describe the notion of collective effervescence? ANS2 Australian aborigine society QSN3 Durkheim saw collective effervescence in what Australian aboriginal activity? ANS3 totemic rituals QSN4 What is another term for collective effervescence? ANS4 emotional energy