A Durkheimian hypothesis on stress

Commonalities among the events that appear on life events lists and among the types of social supports which have been found to reduce the likelihood of illness are reviewed in the life events literature in an attempt to find a context within sociological theory. Social integration seems to underlie the stress-illness process. In seeking a tradition from which to understand these facts, we selected Durkheim's works in the context of the homo duplex concept wherein social integration involves the interplay of individualism and social forces. After presenting a specific hypothesis for the stress literature, the paper concludes with implications and suggestions for empirical research.