Question

When a politician is caught cheating on his spouse, there are usually serious consequences, and sometimes the politician is forced to resign from his office when his constituents loudly express their unhappiness with such behavior.
According to Emile Durkheim, what function does this reaction serve?

a.It helps to deter politicians from cheating in the future.

b.It helps to clarify moral boundaries, reinforcing the idea that marital infidelity is wrong.

c.The anger and public outcry helps to rehabilitate the offender, sothat he won’t give in to the temptation to cheat in the future.

d.Being forced out of office prevents him from ever cheating again.

e.It helps to protect the family of the politician, who need scrutiny and media coverage in order to move on.

Answer 1

Answer:

b. It helps to clarify moral boundaries, reinforcing the idea that marital infidelity is wrong.

Explanation:

Cheating on a spouse is already an immoral act whether it is a politician or not however, a politician is a public figure who is running for or is holding a position of authority as part of the government. This puts further emphasis on the immoral behavior and highlights that the individual might not remain within the moral boundaries while in office. According to Emile Durkheim, a reaction to force such a politician to resign from his office is to reinforce the idea that marital infidelity is wrong which helps to clarify moral boundaries.