Social Psychology of Solidarity

Abstract

The Polish trade union is called Solidarity. Its members were active in the protest movement against communist party leader Jaruzelski. By collective actions such as strikes and demonstrations, the Polish suppression system of the seventies and early eighties was unsettled and finally collapsed. What is the motivation behind joint action? When does it occur and when does it not occur? Is it possible to distinguish between several types of solidarity or is each and every joint action in its basic elements equivalent with the protest movement in Poland? What are the causes of solidarity, the attitudes of the participants of joint actions, the cohesiveness of the group, or peculiarities of the social system? These questions will be tackled in the following essay with a special emphasis on the motivation of joint action and the social context under which it exerts its influence.