Anomie Аномія (ua)

the social situation when old institutions are no longer functioning in a stable way and people no longer can count on receiving the expected rewards for conforming to expected standards (conception of Durkheim). Normlessness, manifested in such a form as a deinstitutionalization of the legitimate means of society (conception of Merton). So the goals toward which people have been taught to aspire (e.g., to achieve prosperity by holding a well-paid job) do not correspond to the institutionalized means that are actually available and the norms by which people are supposed to compete.