Describe sociologist Emile Durkheim's types of solidarity: mechanical and organic solidarity

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Durkheim asserted that preindustrial societies are held together by strong traditions and

by the members' shared moral beliefs and values. As societies industrialized and

developed more specialized economic activities, social solidarity came to be rooted in

the members' shared dependence on one another. Durkheim categorized societies as

having either mechanical or organic solidarity. Mechanical solidarity refers to the

social cohesion of preindustrial societies, in which there is minimal division of labor and

people feel united by shared values and common social bonds. Durkheim believed that

people in such preindustrial societies feel a more or less automatic sense of belonging.

By contrast, organic solidarity refers to the social cohesion found in industrial

societies, in which people perform very specialized tasks and feel united by their mutual

dependence. Social interaction is less personal, more status oriented, and more focused

on specific goals and objectives. People no longer rely on morality or shared values for

social solidarity? instead, they are bound together by practical considerations.