Organic Solidarity

Organic Solidarity refers to the social cohesion and interdependence that emerges in modern, complex, industrial societies. This idea was proposed by Emile Durkheim in The Division of Labor in Society (1893). As work becomes more specialized in a society, people depend on each other to get the products and services they need.

For example, construction workers build houses to shelter factory workers who produce the machines that the construction workers use to build the houses, and so on. As advanced societies grow large and diverse, they remain integrated due to member’s interdependence. In contrast, smaller, less complex societies are characterized by mechanical solidarity, in which cohesion is maintained through shared work, family ties, and similar values and lifestyles.

See also: Mechanical Solidarity