Etymologically anomia means without laws, since the word is formed by the prefix a, which means negation and the suffix nomia, which is equivalent to law . However, its etymology can also be understood with another meaning (without a name) since the suffix nomia also expresses the action of naming. This distinction with respect to its origin makes the word anomie present two meanings: absence of laws or language disorder that prevents an individual from naming things. We analyze both aspects of this term.
Within the framework of philosophy and the social sciences
From the point of view of ethical reflection, anomy occurs when the individual lives his moral dimension with the absence of norms that regulate his behavior. In this sense, a person acts morally when he has incorporated norms that serve to guide his conduct and, therefore, anomie occurs when there is an absence of moral criteria.
From the point of view of sociology , some thinkers have considered that social anomy manifests itself in those situations in which there is a normative derangement in some aspect of society, for example a lack of normative regulation in the workplace, a circumstance which could be defined as the law of anything goes or the law of the jungle.
A concrete example of anomie would be the case in which some workers carry out their activity without any type of contract or legal framework that protects them.
A problem that affects language
Certain neurological problems lead to an obvious limitation in the ability to speak. When an individual cannot name things because he cannot find the words, anomie occurs. This language disorder is also known as anomic aphasia.
People with this limitation can speak but with limitations, since they do not find the right words with a certain frequency (for example, they do not remember the names of people who are very close or unable to name a known object). In this way, a person with anomic aphasia knows what a thing is but is unable to say the name of that thing. This problem is due to a mismatch between the cerebral hemispheres.
In other words, language is articulated in the left hemisphere, but for the coordination between thought and language to be effective it is necessary for the right hemisphere to interact correctly with the left.