Topic

Institution

Name

Date

Course
Mechanical and organic solidarity

Mechanical solidarity is defined as the social and cultural integration of people within a

society who shares common values and beliefs. In mechanical solidarity, shared beliefs and

values institutes a collective conscience that fosters cooperation and teamwork among members

of the society. The collective conscience triggers unity and collective responsibility among

individuals thus promoting self-reliance, commitment and teamwork. According to Durkheim’s

theory, there are compelling factors that forces people within a society to cooperate are like

energies that make molecules to cohere in solids (Mishra, & Rath, 2020). Example of mechanical

solidarity is where children attend same school and follows same village customs. Castes in India

is a mechanical solidarity type since they have a common traditional and religious belief.

Organic solidarity on the other hand refers to social integration as a result of demand of

another person’s service within the society. It can simply be expressed as a form of solidarity

anchored on division of labor, when individuals operate much like interdependent systems but

differentiated organs of a living body (Merali, 2020). In organic solidarity, the society is

concerned by regulating the mode and form of relationship among members rather than imposing

common laws. Example of organic solidarity is African culture, where responsibilities were

specifically distributed among members of the society (women house chores, men provide for

the family, protect and children look after cattle). Tiriki is a typical example of organic

solidarity. For instance, members of Tiriki remain united for the entire period as they pass

through stages of life, and in Luhya community, every Tiriki stage has a distinct role to play

within the society.

My family lifestyle depicts the organic solidarity type, in that every member has a role to

play within the family and operate as interdependent on one another for the success of the

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family. For example, there specific persons for shopping, however some responsibilities like

planting and gardening are done collectively. When it comes to ethics and morals, we portray

mechanical solidarity since we believe on common beliefs and values.

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Reference

Merali, Y. (2020). Connectivity and Cohesion in the Networked World: A Durkheimian

Perspective. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2020, No. 1, p. 21872).

Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.

Mishra, C., & Rath, N. (2020). Social solidarity during a pandemic: Through and beyond

Durkheimian Lens. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 2(1), 100079.

Thilakarathna, K. A. A. N. (2019). A critique on the Durkheimian concept of

solidarity. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 3(6), 307-

313.