To What Extent Does Large-Scale Social Change Do To The Unity Of A Society

Sociology is the study the different aspects of humanity and society. It encompasses a very broad and varying range of topics. It can be studied on a large world-wide scale spanning across several countries, which is called Macrosociology. It can also be studied on a small scale looking at only individual families or neighborhoods, which is called Microsociology. Not only does it peer into humans’ interactions with each other but examines why they act the way they do. It considers the environment, as well as how access to different luxuries can contribute to the people that we become. In this fascinating field there are three primary views on exactly what the fundamental driving force behind society is. Symbolic Interactionalism, the belief that symbols and the meaning that they are given, define how we will perceive life, in this philosophy these meanings are influenced by society and the events of individual lives. Functional Analysis, views society as any other organism, in this theory all parts of the whole must work together cohesively to function. Conflict theory takes a somewhat opposite view than Functionalism, this perspective suggests that rather than wanting to work in unison, society’s underlying motive is a power struggle for resources. Over the course of this paper the reader will explore these different perspectives.

After reviewing the article titles given for this first assignment, I believe they indicate that Sociology, generally speaking, is not only a study of diversity or commonality in traits among people; it is also a science about factors in a person’s life and how these factors culminate responses. Interestingly enough, its topics of concern seem to be directly determined by current and common events of the world. Through the invention and expansion of new ideas, popular trends and fashions through time, Sociology adapts to responsibly to service the very subjects of interest it studies; for, even the slightest change of a person’s daily experience can have an insurmountable impact on attitude, personal growth, family

2. Durkheim: What term does Durkheim associate with social solidarity? How do societies achieve it organically and mechanically? What did he think threatened social solidarity?

Organic solidarity arose as a result of the industrial revolution when society became more multifaceted and new ways of working emerged. This saw a decline in the collective conscience regarding shared morals and beliefs as society began to progress and expand. The division of labour that arises as a result of organic solidarity is complex and varied, resulting in people becoming more individualistic and yet also interdependent. Society’s social bonds now centred around the fact that people were dependant on each other for the good and services required in their day-to-day lives. (McDonald, 2009)

Durkheim illustrates social solidarity as social unity and integration, that uses moral phenomenon to help understand the moral degrees in society. Durkheim suggest social solidarity works under two different types which are mechanical and organic solidarity. Durkheim defines mechanical solidarity as common value and beliefs that are shared within society, that creates unity and shared goals. Organic solidarity is the highest interaction between different groups, with diverse ideologies. Durkheim suggest that the Black Lives Matter movement use their social solidarity to achieve collective awareness of the unjust repressive laws that discriminate against African Americans within the judicial and prison system. Durkheim would suggest that the

There would be no cultures, social structures, or social functions today without sociology. Countless social interactions occur in the world each day whether it be in the classroom, workplace, household, over the phone, etc. Each interaction shapes the world in which we live. However, some interactions affect the nation as a whole while some interactions only affect a select few. This indicates that some individuals, such as government representatives and business representatives, have power over others such as the everyday common people. Social change is inevitable because our nation's leaders are changing every few years, and so are our most controversial social issues. C. Wright Mills digs deep into this concept within his book The Sociological Imagination.

When two or more people become involved in each other’s lives, a society is born. Love and hate, respect and disdain, honesty and deception––all of these emotional and interhuman elements blend to create said society. A sociologist is able to see through these components and break them down individually as well as find how they blend together. In his article “The Forest, the Trees, and the One Thing,” Allan G. Johnson says that he and other sociologists “wonder what life really is all about, what this stream of interconnected people’s lives consists of, what knits it all together and what tears it apart, and what…it’s got to do with me” (2008).

Society can be united in many different ways such as working towards a common goal or being bound together by a like-minded idea. However, the prevalence of societal fractures may cause structural turmoil and the fragmentation of communities. In order to understand the inner workings of an ideal community, societal fractures must be understood and minimized or removed entirely. To accomplish this, several questions must be posed: what are societal fractures and how can we limit them? What constitutes the strongest community? What are the strongest uniting factors in a community? If we can understand how communities work and how we can replicate the ideal community while avoiding societal fractures, working together with others when we have

In this essay I will be covering Marxist, Interactionist and Functionalist theories of society. I will be examining their strengths and weaknesses. Using the three social theories, the macro approach of Marx that is used to analyse society from a class conflict view between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, the macro approach that Durkheim used when analysing social systems and populations on a large scale and who’s theory views individual’s issues as reflective of wider social patterns and the micro approach of George Mead who focused on small scale social interaction and who’s theory interprets the behaviour of individuals as significant and a way to interpret how the world is socially constructed.

Humans’ basic needs include social interactions. In order for the population to grow, males and females must find a mate and reproduce. This makes the family unit important and its survival equally important. Forming bigger groups of multiple family units increased the chances of survival because roles could be shared. Such groups could form layers such as tribes and nations and share knowledge among these organizations (Wren, 2009, pp. 10-11). Social needs must be met in order for the human population to flourish and improve itself.

As an expert in studying the social phenomenon, Durkheim, in his book The Divisions of Labor in Society (1893), argued that a society alters from mechanical to organic as it becomes more complex. (Fraling, p80)

The division of labor, classified by industrialization, represents a rise in organic solidarity and a decline in mechanical solidarity. In a society where mechanical solidarity reigns supreme, people feel connected through what they have in common, such as similar work, educational and religious values, and lifestyles. Durkheim states this operates predominantly in traditional and small scale societies such as tribes. Societies of mechanical nature tend to be not very complex, with tasks themselves being general and simple. Social class is also easily distinguishable by mannerisms of eating and dressing such as when a tribal chief is better fed and better clothed than a

Society and its inherent need to have all of its inhabitants fit together as one

In Durkheim’s view social order in an industrialised society depends on an acceptance of difference and co-operation between individuals and groups to the benefit of each individual.

The aim of this piece will be to discuss how mechanical and or organic solidarity as discussed by Durkheim are relevant in today’s society. Discussion shall surround the emergence of organic solidarity the division of society, and the emergence of apparent equality and diversity in Western society. In order to provide such an analysis this piece will draw upon academic journals, and theories to substantiate the analysis, using works from Durkheim (1984), Marx (1984, 2008), although this list is not exhaustive.