social theory Social theories are analytical frameworks, or paradigms, that are used to study and interpret social phenomena.Seidman, S., 2016. Contested knowledge: Social theory today. John Wiley & Sons. A tool used by social scientists, social theories re ...

, detraditionalization refers to the erosion of

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

in religion (

secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

agnosticism Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer t ...

religious disaffiliation Religious disaffiliation is the act of leaving a faith, or a religion, religious group or community. It is in many respects the reverse of religious conversion. Several other terms are used for this process, though each of these terms may have slig ...

) and society in

postmodernism Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...

. Subscribing individuals in traditional societies believe in established, timeless, authoritative orders and

values In ethics and social sciences, value denotes the degree of importance of some thing or action, with the aim of determining which actions are best to do or what way is best to live ( normative ethics), or to describe the significance of different a ...

, above the

individual An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from other people and possessing one's own needs or g ...

, and timeless attainable goals. Such beliefs may manifest as specific behavior. Factors that contribute to ''loss of tradition'' are endorsement of individual

choice A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate Motivation, motivators and Choice modelling, models. Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or arti ...

and responsibility or the "sacred" (in

Émile Durkheim David Émile Durkheim (; or ; 15 April 1858 – 15 November 1917) was a French Sociology, sociologist. Durkheim formally established the academic discipline of sociology and is commonly cited as one of the principal architects of modern soci ...

's sense of the term) individual itself in democratic societies, and the revolution in

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

. Among the theorists who believe that society is moving from a modernity that has been largely traditional to a post-traditional time is Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens.

References

* Contributors include Mark Poster, Richard Sennett, Ulrich Beck, Margaret Archer, Mary Douglas and Thomas Luckmann. *https://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~janzb/courses/hum3255/giddensdetrad1.htm *http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Enttraditionalisierung.html Tradition Religion {{religion-stub

See also

References