Emile Durkheim's theory focuses on social structures and their relationship to human behavior. He theorized that an individual's behavior is strongly influenced by social facts. Durkheim focuses on functionalism; the belief that society needs all its parts to function. Examples of social facts are religion, traditions and laws. An individual will obey the law because he is told to do so or he will celebrate Christmas because it is a tradition in his family as well as a religious holiday. Both of these are external factors that impact and influence how a person will behave. Social structures are divided into four categories; global, meso, macro and micro. When an individual's behavior is influenced by his community, that is the meso level. The meso level of society focuses on how someone is affected by things like government, school, work, or clubs. If a person lives in a nation ruled by communism, he will obey the laws because he is told to do so. An example of this would be a woman who wears a burqa because this is the law of the country she lives in and by not abiding by the law she will face a serious penalty. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayMacrostructures refer to how someone would behave based on what is happening in society. An example of how this could impact human behavior is; if there is a recession or low employment, a person may cut expenses or turn to a local food bank to survive. The microstructures are family, friends and peers. If an individual comes from a family of high social status, he or she is more likely to continue to remain in that social class. For example, if they come from a family where both parents are lawyers, they are more likely to pursue a career that offers them the same social status. Another example would be a teenager who starts smoking because his best friend does and this is perceived as an activity that will make him look cool. Global structures refer to the entire world. An example of this would be in the food industry and how supply and demand around the world has caused a change in the agricultural sector. Farmers tend to be large scale and producing at a much faster rate than in the past as there is a larger population to feed and support than there was 100 years ago. A personal example in relation to Durkheim's theory is in my hometown, it is a common social norm to go to university, get married young, settle down and start a family. Most people follow this model and continue their parents' traditions. In my immediate family, my siblings followed this norm. They all married young, had children and returned to the same community where they were born and raised; just like my parents did. Another example relevant to Durkheim's theory of human behavior is that many people who have attended post-secondary school are graduating with student loans and having difficulty finding work; they don't buy homes when they're young and rent or continue to live with their parents to save money.