Solidarity: Solidarity As Value, Types and Examples

The solidarity it is the unity of a group or a class and it is based on the support of the interests of others, even in difficult or adverse situations for oneself. In general, it refers to the ties that bind the members of a society; therefore, the term is used mainly in sociology and other social sciences.

Solidarity is also one of the main values ​​of Christianity, based on the idea that those who share their well-being with others will be worthy of salvation. This is one of the most well-known messages of Jesus Christ, summarized in his popular phrase"love your neighbor as yourself".

Because it is one of the most important topics studied by sociology, many of the great sociologists of history have theorized about how and why solidarity occurs. Émile Durkheim and Peter Kropotkin are some of the most well-known and influential.

On the other hand, solidarity is also closely related to altruism, one of the topics studied in greater depth by social psychology.

Solidarity as a value

It is considered that solidarity is one of the fundamental values ​​of societies that function correctly. Because human beings are social animals, we need to collaborate with others to overcome obstacles, achieve our goals and feel fulfilled.

But what exactly is a value? In sociology, a value is considered to be a basic guide of behavior followed by the functional members of a society.

The values

Values ​​can also be understood as the criteria that individuals use to value and plan their own lives, so that they can choose between different courses of action that may be contrary.

Some examples of social values ​​can be equality, rationality, freedom and democracy. Among these, solidarity is one of the most studied, both from the point of view of social psychology and sociology.

These values ​​represent what we socially consider to be good, virtuous and worthy of being achieved. They represent a kind of behavioral guide that all citizens are expected to comply with, even though they have not been made explicit in most cases.

In this sense, solidarity as a value probably arises from the Judeo-Christian tradition, which has had a great influence on Western culture.

Because sacrifice for the interests of others and concern for others are two of the fundamental pillars of Christian practice, these values ​​have permeated our society and are still today.

Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist born at the beginning of the 20th century, developed a model to compare the fundamental values ​​of different cultures. Although it did not focus on solidarity as a differentiated value, it did examine two others that are directly related to it: individualism (versus collectivism) and masculinity (as opposed to femininity).

Individualism and collectivism

One of the five fundamental values ​​that Hofstede used to examine the differences between different cultures and countries was their degree of individuality.

According to this psychologist, some cultures place great emphasis on the"I"; In these individualistic cultures, the bonds between people are not very strong and the only relationships of solidarity would be between members of the same family.

On the other hand, some cultures would be at the other extreme and would therefore be collectivist. The people of this type of society would put the interest of others ahead of their own, in such a way that bonds of loyalty would be created between them and solidarity would be a much more common value.

According to several cross-cultural investigations based on Hofstede's research, Latin cultures would be halfway between individualism and collectivism, so solidarity is an important value for us but it is not as fundamental as in other places like Asia.

Masculinity and femininity

The other of Hofstede's values ​​that relates to solidarity is masculinity vs. femininity of a country. This researcher defined a masculine society as one in which a great emphasis is placed on achievements, assertiveness, material goods and heroism.

On the contrary, a female society is one that values ​​empathy, caring for others, cooperation and quality of life. Therefore, women's societies would give greater importance to solidarity.

In this case, Latin societies are among the most feminine (and therefore supportive) of the entire world.

Types of solidarity

Émile Durkheim described two types of solidarity within a society: mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity.

While the mechanics has to do with the feeling of familiarity that people have with those who have a similar life, the organic is more related to the interdependence that is formed in developed societies.

Mechanical solidarity

- It is based on the characteristics that people have in common. Therefore, it is typical of small societies, where all members are fundamentally equal.

- It hardly generates interdependence.

- It does not have much to do with morality or ethics.

- In societies where there is mechanical solidarity, their absence is punishable by law and very harshly.

- Usually based on religious laws and dictations, so it can not be questioned.

Organic solidarity

- Based on interdependence and division of labor.

- Typical of developed societies and with many members.

- Protected by constitutional rights rather than restrictive laws.

- Based on logic and human values, without any religious or spiritual connotation.

Examples of solidarity

In our day to day we can carry out a lot of actions that help us to be more faithful to the value of solidarity. Some of these actions are the following:

- Participate in a volunteering.

- Give the seat on public transport to someone who needs it.

- Donate money to an NGO or give it to the poor.

- Listen to the problems of others and help them solve them.

Of course, this list is incomplete; If you want to help others and behave in solidarity, you can find thousands of ways to do it.

References

1. "Solidarity"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 17, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
2. "Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 17, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
3. "The Meaning and Functions of Social Values"in: Your Article Library. Retrieved on: March 17, 2018 from Your Article Library: yourarticlelibrary.com.
4. "7 Examples of solidarity"in: Meanings. Retrieved on: March 17, 2018 from Meanings: meanings.com.
5. "Mechanical and organic solidarity"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 17, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.