Mechanical Solidarity Essay Sample

Mechanical Solidarity Essay Sample Mechanical solidarity: the Main Distinctive Features of this Term In this essay, we will learn what mechanical solidarity is and give the examples of this term. This notion is frequently used among the pre-industrial societies. So, let’s discern about this concept in greater detail. Mechanical Solidarity Definition This term is used with the aim to describe the situation when similarities of members of one community maintain the society. Maybe, you don’t hear this word in your everyday life frequently, but still, it is widely used in sociology. In other words, this notion describes the cohesion which comes from the homogeneity of different individuals. Members of one society realize that they are related to other members through the same work, lifestyle, religious, and training. As a rule, the term of mechanical solidarity is applied to small-scale societies. Example of Mechanical Solidarity We want to describe this term in greater details, look through the below-listed example. As a rule, one can better understand different sociological aspects after reading the case. Just imagine that there is a little boy, who was born in a remote village in Bali. Every day this boy lives in the community which members spend 9 hours of their day at work. He likes all members of his community, all of them are similar, holding similar values, visiting the same shop and eating similar food. It is an ideal instance of mechanical solidarity. Several Historical Facts First, this sociological term was used by a well-known sociologist, Emile Durkheim more than 100 years ago. In 1893, he wrote a book The Division of Labor. The terms mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity were used in this book for the first time. First, he introduced the term solidarity that was used with the aim to describe different things that could keep one society together. As soon as this book was published, many sociologists started learning these notions more attentively. These terms are opposite. Organic solidarity means the situation when people depend upon each other. To put it simply, it describes the kind of solidarity where there is a subdivision of labor. Every member of this society can’t do without the other one. It comes from interdependence. Members of this type of solidarity perform different assignments, and if one member (because of some reasons) can’t do his work, there is no one around who substitute him. Mechanical society is absolutely different: its members are engaged in the same everyday activities. They do the same work, share similar views, and their lives are also common. In this kind of solidarity, the work can’t stop because of the absence of one of its members. They can always stay together. As a rule, pre-industrial societies are characterized by the term mechanical solidarity. Key Features that Describe Mechanical Solidarity It is a primitive and even more tribal type of society where there is no important or cardinal labor division. As a rule, they have general consciousness â€" religion. There are no individuals in this group. People can’t express themselves because of some reasons. Religion is in the first place. The whole society makes the same things each day. It swallows up any personality. The property they own is also joint. Of course, an individual can own this property, but in this case, he frees himself from the others and becomes a distinctive being. The major characteristic features of mechanical solidarity are the following ones: The community owns all resources. No one has the right to become the owner of the personal property. Only community property exists, and everyone has a chance to use it. You can’t express yourself as a personality. It is forbidden. You depend on the society. Collective consciousness. They share the same beliefs. Repressive laws. They are subdivided into procedural, civil and administrative law. Their overarching goal is to bring back the previous state of affairs. Unfortunately or luckily, it is complicated to give a bright example of one or another society which adheres to the rules of the mechanic or organic solidarity. Still, the community is static and dynamic. One more example of mechanical solidarity is the society which lived in Europe till the epoch of industrialization. During that period, it was a traditional society. One more example is the time of communism, the type of a society where it was almost impossible to be an individual.