Social Solidarity

Social Solidarity - general term, attributed to Emile Durkheim, that represents the general cohesiveness, strength, and viability of a society; based on two primary aspects - social regulation and social integration; Social regulation being a function of 1) the number of rules governing everyday life 2) the strictness with which rules are enforced 3) the general predictability of life; Social integration is a function of 1) how connected one feels to their society or community 2) how often one interacts with other members of their society or community. There are two basic means by which solidarity is achieved, or two basic kinds of social solidarity, namely Organic Solidarity and Mechanical Solidarity.