Emile Durkheim is considered to be one of the founding fathers of sociology as a discipline. He suggests that everyone has a specialized function in society, whether it is a family doctor that is treating those that are sick or the produce supplier. According to Durkheim, we live in a society where everyone has a specified role and we tend to rely on others in order for the society as a whole to function properly. In other words, someone relies on another to person to move about in their everyday lives’ in the society that we live in. This is related to Durkheim’s theory of organic solidarity. This theory makes me think of the realm of the medical field in general and the specialized field of physical therapy makes me think of the notion of interdependence that Durkheim brings up in his piece.
Organic solidarity is a notion which consists of a reliance on a great division of labor. Durkheim’s theory brings the medical field to mind because the doctors within this institution usually have a specialty in an area of the body that they deal with. Whether it is a patient needs to see an orthopedic doctor because they broke their foot or a patient needs to see an oncologist because they have a form of cancer that needs to be treated. All of these are highly specialized areas within the field that make the medical community flow smoother. I’m pretty sure that if one doctor took care of every specialization imaginable and tried to run their clinic, they would go crazy because there would be no structure and regulation within their occupation. Durkheim says that organic solidarity relies on a larger community in order to function properly. This is also true in the medical field because doctors rely on the greater society to become ill and need patient care.
Durkheim also says that organic solidarity is less personal, which is another component of organic solidarity. Think about the last time you went to see a doctor for an illness of some sort. Did the doctor spend a lot of time talking you and getting to know you? Or did they just find out what was wrong with you and walk out of the room? Doctors usually find out what is going on with you and move on to the next patient. This example can be seen as a form of organic solidarity because the patient is left with a feeling of their interaction being less personal. Do you think the medical field would be better or worse if it started to slowly step away from organic solidarity? Would this create chaos because there would be no regulation?
Durkheim also brings up the notion of interdependence in which he states is when you rely on others in order to fulfill your personal needs. For example, I work for a physical therapist and patients come in on a day to day basis complaining of some form of pain and expect the therapist and me to cure the pain. However, as many people know, the pain does not go away immediately, the patient must work on getting themselves back to their daily life and rely on the therapist to guide them in the direction that they need to go. Therefore, the physical therapy community is a form of interdependence.
Organic solidarity is a notion which consists of a reliance on a great division of labor. Durkheim’s theory brings the medical field to mind because the doctors within this institution usually have a specialty in an area of the body that they deal with. Whether it is a patient needs to see an orthopedic doctor because they broke their foot or a patient needs to see an oncologist because they have a form of cancer that needs to be treated. All of these are highly specialized areas within the field that make the medical community flow smoother. I’m pretty sure that if one doctor took care of every specialization imaginable and tried to run their clinic, they would go crazy because there would be no structure and regulation within their occupation. Durkheim says that organic solidarity relies on a larger community in order to function properly. This is also true in the medical field because doctors rely on the greater society to become ill and need patient care.
Durkheim also says that organic solidarity is less personal, which is another component of organic solidarity. Think about the last time you went to see a doctor for an illness of some sort. Did the doctor spend a lot of time talking you and getting to know you? Or did they just find out what was wrong with you and walk out of the room? Doctors usually find out what is going on with you and move on to the next patient. This example can be seen as a form of organic solidarity because the patient is left with a feeling of their interaction being less personal. Do you think the medical field would be better or worse if it started to slowly step away from organic solidarity? Would this create chaos because there would be no regulation?
Durkheim also brings up the notion of interdependence in which he states is when you rely on others in order to fulfill your personal needs. For example, I work for a physical therapist and patients come in on a day to day basis complaining of some form of pain and expect the therapist and me to cure the pain. However, as many people know, the pain does not go away immediately, the patient must work on getting themselves back to their daily life and rely on the therapist to guide them in the direction that they need to go. Therefore, the physical therapy community is a form of interdependence.