The term solidarity to most people usually has only one meaning and that is standing together. For Durkheim there were two: organic solidarity, which is based off of differences and mechanical solidarity, which is based off of likeness. A brief description of organic solidarity is it’s a term used to describe society after the Industrial Revolution when humanity became more based around laws and structure. This type of solidarity creates a larger division in labor, which also creates interdependence on one another. When jobs became more specialized, we started to need only those specific people to help us. Organic solidarity made society a little less personal. When we are not going to the same guy to have our couch cleaned and do our taxes, we get to know each other less and establish more boundaries, so we don’t work with that much of a collective conscious. Many of our relationships become based around status and roles.
Mechanical solidarity is its opposite. This type of solidarity is based around likeness. There is a minimal division of labor, which makes many people jack of all trades. You will interact with the same individual on many occasions, since he has so many skills, which will make your relationships more personal. When relationships are more personal you have more of a collective consciousness, a group thought as oppose to individuals just having their own thoughts. You attach more value on the society and its interest as a whole, while in organic it would be more about the individual, such as, work-ethic, equal chance for opportunity and dignity. There are limited social roles and society is based around more intimate social interaction. Mechanical solidarity is something that was seen before the Industrial Revolution and used in societies that were smaller. This makes sense since smaller societies, with a less complex division of labor will increase personal interaction, which will lead to comradely and the collective consciousness.
Even though mechanical solidarity was more of a characteristic of Pre-Industrial Revolution, we can still see it in our society today. After watch the television show Breaking Amish, I couldn’t help but think of them when I think of mechanical solidarity. They live in small groups of people with low material density. They don’t have a large division of labor and live on self-sustaining farms without the use of specialized labor and technology. This makes their society more intimate, therefore creating a collective conscious. In class, it was discussed that instead of using civic or criminal law, mechanical solidarity will use more of a collective authority that in the Amish’s case is shunning. In Breaking Amish, you see that when the characters leave the community and are shunned. Shunning is a technique use to enforce their laws when someone breaks it. Also, mechanical solidarity societies are characterized as more religious. In Breaking Amish they discuss their religion often and the different various things in society that are sinful, such as makeup and technology. Things and aspects of life are much more specific than in organic solidarity were things can be a little more abstract. Whether it is organic or mechanical their characteristics seem interrelated, and make sense within their group. It’s really hard to say which one is honestly better but they both describe two different societies that offer both worthy pros and cons.