The society that we are living in at the moment is characterized by different forms of behavior. This is nothing new as different people have seen it since time immemorial. Sociologists have also tried to do an observation and a study on the behavior in the society and they have come up with different conclusions. In the theory of Durkheim Emile; who was a French social scientist, the social cohesion of undifferentiated, small societies can be referred to as mechanical and of the societies differentiated by a division that is relatively complex in the division of labor can be referred to as organic (Berger 3). In this paper, we are going to have a look at the kind of solidarity that can be seen in the current establishment of residence and find out whether it is mostly mechanical or is it mostly organic and it might be both.
First, mechanical solidarity can be better understood as the social integration of people in a particular society who have beliefs and values in common. The beliefs and values that they have in common constitute a “collective conscience” that often operates internally in different individuals and makes them cooperate and work together. Durkheim attributed this kind of behavior and likens it to internal energies that cause different molecules to cohere into a solid. He was drawing upon terminologies of physical science to coin the general term mechanical solidarity (Berger 28).
Organic solidarity, on the other hand, can be described, as is the social integration that often arises when there is a need for individuals to seek one another's services. A society that is greatly characterized by organic solidarity, you will realize that there is a relatively a wide distribution of labor. The individuals in this society have different functions and they tend to operate interdependently. Durkheim likens this kind of a system to the interdependent but also differentiated organs in the body of a living organism. The society has no need of enforcing uniformity on the rules that govern human behavior but they focus more on making regulations on the relations between different people and groups. This process is often done with the help of contracts and laws (Morrison 13).
In my neighborhood, people have been taken up with the kind of living of the modern society. Many people embrace independence and in very few scenarios would you find them working together towards a common goal. It is very rare to find them come together unless it is a social gathering like a party. With the diversity in the world today, people have been absorbed into different professions thus giving them different responsibilities. Very few people have been seen to do the same thing and even if so, they are often engaged in different responsibilities within the same time frame. Despite this kind of behavior, there comes a time when people have together. They often put their differences aside and work towards the better good of the society. A perfect example is the coming together of parents in the neighborhood to get rid a drug dealer who has been selling drugs to their kids. This kind of solidarity is only seen when there is a need to do so for the better good of the society.
In conclusion, organic solidarity seems to be the norm of my neighborhood. People operate differently but they often come together when the need arises (Morrison 15). They are however bound by a contract and laws, which gives them a particular code of conduct for the sake of peace in the society.
Works Cited
Berger, Arthur Asa. Durkheim is Dead! Sherlock Holmes is Introduced to Social Theory. 1st
ed. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press/Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 2003, (1 - 8) Print.
Morrison, Ken. Marx, Durkheim, Weber. 1st ed. London: Sage, 2006(10 – 18) Print.
