Four Sociological Traditions Summary

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Randall Collins talks about Durkheim and his beliefs on social solidarity in Four Sociological Traditions, and talks about how Durkheim’s belief in “social morphology, the structural relationships among people,” determines how certain interactions between individuals in society occur in comparison to others in the same society (1994:186). The type of solidarity that occurs changes over time, depending on the needs of the society, whether it being for a whole group such as a community, or a small group of people. Collins highlights Durkheim’s concepts of mechanical and organic solidarity where in mechanical solidarity, there is a similarity in the group in labor or belief that is maintained and is “independent of individual wills,” whereas in a group with organic solidarity, “individuals develop progressively more specialized roles” and become more independent among the group (1994:187). Within social solidarity is most likely law, whether said or unsaid, that helps to maintain order. When the law is broken, “punishment” can occur. Stated by Durkheim in his dissertation Division of Labor in Society, punishment occurs “not because chastisement offers it any intrinsic satisfaction, but so that the fear of punishment may paralyse those who contemplate …show more content…
I am a member of the Stony Brook Pipettes, the premier all-female a cappella group on campus. The Pipettes as a group would be considered a mechanical solidarity as we all are in the group for the same reason: we are singers and we sing together to complete songs. However, within the group, I am also part of an organic solidarity, as I am part of the eboard of the group, specifically the music director/vice president. That gives me a more specialized role in the group to teach everyone the music that we all have to sing during our rehearsals, as well as help make administrative decisions with the other three girls on eboard with