French social theorist Emile Durkheim, a pioneer figure in modern sociology, examined the effect of societal cohesion on emotional well-being. Advocating applying scientific methods to the study of society, Durkheim studied the levels of integration in various social formations and the impact that such cohesion had on individuals within the group. He postulated that social groups with high levels of integration serve to buffer their members from frustrations and tragedies that could otherwise lead to desperation and self-destruction. In Durkheim’s view, integration generally arises through shared activities and values of a group. Durkheim used two terms, which he coined as mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity, to classify integrated groups. As he explained it, mechanical solidarity, based on the similarities of the group members, dominates in groups in which individual differences are minimized and group devotion to a common goal is high. Durkheim further identified mechanical solidarity among groups with little division of labor and high degrees of cultural similarity, such as more traditional and geographically isolated groups. Organic solidarity, in contrast, is defined by its instrumental involvement with the division of labor. Accordingly, organic solidarity prevails in groups with high levels of individual differences, such as those with a highly specialized division of labor. In such groups, individual differences are a powerful source of connection rather than of division. Because people engage in highly differentiated ways of life, they are by necessity interdependent. In these societies, there is greater freedom from some external controls, but such freedom occurs in concert with the interdependence of individuals, not in conflict with it. Durkheim realized that societies may take many forms and, consequently, that group allegiance can manifest itself in a variety of ways. In both types of societies outlined previously, however, Durkheim stressed that adherence to a common set of assumptions about the world was necessary prerequisite for maintaining group integrity and avoiding social decay.