Georg Simmel

Thursday, June 19, 2014 2000-2006 by Ronald Keith Bolender 1
SOC4044 Sociological
Theory:
Georg Simmel
Georg Simmel
References
Coser, Lewis A. 1971. Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in
Historical and Social Context. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich.
Hess, Beth B, Elia!eth ". #arkson, an$ %eter J. &tein. 199'.
Sociology. (th e$. New York: #ac)illan %u!lishin* Co)+an,.
Georg Simmel
1-.-/191-
Born in Berlin, 0er)an, 1live$

in an area si)ilar to New York
Cit,2s 3i)es &4uare5
His 6a)il, was !usiness/

oriente$, +ros+erous, an$
Jewish
His 6ather converte$ to

Christianit,//$ie$ in &i))el2s
,outh
A )o$ern ur!an )an//without

roots in tra$itional 6olk culture
Georg Simmel
How is society possible?
&i))el +ro+ose$ that sociolo*ists 6ocus on
+eo+le in relationshi+s. &ociet,, 6or
&i))el, was the patterned interactions
among members of a group, the su) o6
res+onses to or$inar, li6e events.
Georg Simmel
&i))el !e*an with the ele)ents o6 ever,$a, li6e//+la,in*
*a)es, kee+in* secrets, !ein* a stran*er, 6or)in*
6rien$shi+s//an$ arrive$ at insi*hts into the quality o6
relationshi+s. As with 7urkhei) an$ "e!er, &i))el
resiste$ re$ucin* social !ehavior to in$ivi$ual
+ersonalit,. Nor, 6or &i))el, coul$ social relationshi+s
!e 6ull, e8+laine$ !, lar*er collective +atterns such as
9the econo),.: ;ather, the results o6 ever,$a,
interaction creates a level o6 realit, in its own ri*ht//an
9interaction order: that is never totall, 6i8e$ an$ is
there6ore alwa,s +ro!le)atic an$ ca+a!le o6 chan*e.
1Hess, #arkson, an$ &tein 199':1'/1(5
Georg Simmel
&i))el2s a++roach to sociolo*, can !est !e un$erstoo$ as
a sel6/conscious atte)+t to re<ect the or*anicist theories
o6 Co)te an$ &+encer, as well as the historical
$escri+tion o6 uni4ue events that was cherishe$ in his
native 0er)an. He a$vance$, instea$ the conce+tion
that societ, consists o6 a web of patterned
interactions, an$ that it is the task o6 sociolo*, to stu$,
the forms forms o6 these interactions as the, occur and
reoccur in diverse historical periods and cultural settings.
1Coser 1971:1775
Thursday, June 19, 2014 2000-2006 by Ronald Keith Bolender
Georg Simmel
Society is merely the name for a number of
individuals connected by interactions.
3he )a<or 6iel$ o6 stu$, 6or the stu$ent o6
societ, is=
sociation
sociation, that is, the
+articular +atterns an$ forms in which
)en associate an$ interact with one
another.
1Coser 1971:17-5
Thursday, June 19, 2014 2000-2006 by Ronald Keith Bolender !
Georg Simmel:
Formal Sociology (Social Forms)
>n &i))el2s +ers+ective a host o6 otherwise $istinct hu)an
+heno)ena )i*ht !e +ro+erl, un$erstan$ !, reference to the same
formal concept. 3o !e sure, the stu$ent o6 war6are an$ the stu$ent
o6 )arria*e investi*ate 4ualitativel, $i66erent su!<ect )atters, ,et
the sociolo*ist can $iscern essentiall, si)ilar interactive 6or)s in
martial conflict an$ in marital conflict.
Althou*h there is little si)ilarit, !etween the !ehavior $is+la,e$ at the
court o6 Louis ?>@ an$ that $is+la,e$ in the )ain o66ices o6 an
A)erican cor+oration, a stu$, o6 the 6or)s o6 subordination an$
superordination in each will reveal un$erl,in* +atterns co))on to
!oth=
1Coser 1971:1795
Georg Simmel:
Social Processes
Con6lict an$ Coo+eration
&u!or$ination an$ &u+eror$ination
Centraliation an$ 7ecentraliation

Georg Simmel:
3he ter) form was +erha+s not the !est choice=
Ha$ &i))el use$ the ter) social structure//
which, in a sense, is 4uite close to his use o6
6or)//he woul$ have +ro!a!l, encountere$ less
resistance. &uch )o$ern sociolo*ical ter)s
such as status, role, norms, an$ expectations as
ele)ents o6 social structure are close to the
6or)al conce+tualiations that &i))el
e)+lo,e$.
1Coser 1971:1-15
Georg Simmel:
Social Types
&i))el constructe$ a *aller, o6
social types
social types to
co)+le)ent his inventor, o6
social forms
social forms:
3he &tran*er
3he #e$iator
3he %oor
3he A$venturer
3he #an in the #i$$le
3he ;ene*a$e
1Coser 1971:1-A5
Georg Simmel:
Social Types
&i))el conceives o6 each +articular social t,+e as
!ein* cast !, the s+eci6ic reactions an$
e8+ectations o6 other. 3he
type
type becomes what
he is throu*h his relations with others who
assign hi) a +articular +osition an$ expect hi)
to !ehave in s+eci6ic wa,s. His characteristics
are seen as attributes o6 the social structure.
1Coser 1971:1-A5
Georg Simmel:
Social Types
The Stranger
9The stranger: in &i))el2s ter)inolo*,, is not <ust a wan$erer 9who co)es
to$a, an$ *oes to)orrow,: havin* no s+eci6ic structural +osition. Bn the
contrar,, he is a 9+erson who co)es to$a, an$ sta,s to)orrow=He is 6i8e$
within a +articular s+atial *rou+=!ut his +osition=is $eter)ine$=!, the
6act that he $oes not !elon* to it 6ro) the !e*innin*,: an$ that he )a, leave
a*ain. 3he stran*er is 9an ele)ent o6 the *rou+ itsel6: while not !ein* 6ull,
+art o6 it. He therefore is assigned a role that no other members of the
group can play. By virtue of his partial involvement in group affairs he can
attain an obectivity that other members cannot reach!#oreover, !ein*
$istant an$ near at the sa)e ti)e, the stran*er will o6ten !e calle$ u+on as
a con6i$ant=>n si)ilar wa,s, the stranger may be a better udge bet"een
conflicting parties than full members of the group since he is not tied to
either of the contenders=
1Coser 1971:1-A5
Georg Simmel:
Social Types
The Poor
Bnce the poor acce+t assistance, they are removed from
the preconditions of their previous status# they are
declassified# and their private trouble no" becomes a
public issue. The poor come to be viewed not by what
they do--the criteria ordinarily used in social
categorization--but by virtue of what is done to
them. &ociet, creates the social t,+e o6 the +oor an$
assi*ns the) a +eculiar status that is )arke$ onl, !,
ne*ative attri!utes, !, what the status/hol$ers $o not
have.
1Coser 1971:1-A5
Georg Simmel:
Social Types
The stranger an$ the poor, as well as
&i))el2s other t,+es, are assi*ne$ their
+ositions !, virtue o6 s+eci6ic interactive
relations. 3he, are societal creations an$
must act out their assigned roles.
1Coser 1971:1-'5
Georg Simmel:
The Dialectical Method
3o &i))el,
sociation
sociation alwa,s involves
harmony and conflict, attraction and
repulsion, love and hatred. He saw hu)an
relations as characterie$ !,
ambivalenceC +recisel, those who are
connecte$ in inti)ate relations are likel,
to har!or 6or one another not onl, +ositive
!ut also ne*ative senti)ents.
Georg Simmel:
The Dialectical Method
$rotic relations, 6or e8a)+le, strike us as woven
to*ether o6 love an$ res+ect, or $isres+ect=o6
love an$ an ur*e to $o)inate or the nee$ 6or
$e+en$ence="hat the o!server or the
+artici+ant hi)sel6 thus $ivi$es into two
inter)in*lin* tren$s )a, in realit, !e onl, one.
=Because con6lict can stren*then e8istin* !on$s
or esta!lish new ones, it can !e consi$ere$ a
creative rather than a destructive 6orce.
1Coser 1971:1-(/1-.5
Thursday, June 19, 2014 2000-2006 by Ronald Keith Bolender 1!
Georg Simmel:
The Significance of !m"ers for Social #ife
&i))el2s e)+hasis on the structural $eter)inants o6 social
action is +erha+s !est e8e)+li6ie$ in his se)inal essa,,
9Duantitative As+ects o6 the 0rou+.: Here he co)es
nearest to realiin* his *oal o6 writin* a grammar of
social life !, consi$erin* one o6 the )ost a!stract
characteristics o6 a *rou+: the mere number of its the mere number of its
participants participants. He e8a)ines 6or)s o6 *rou+ +rocess an$
structural arran*e)ent inso6ar as these $erive 6ro)
sheer 4uantitative relationshi+s.
1Coser 1971:1-E5
Georg Simmel:
Dyad versus Triad
A
dyad
dyadic relationshi+ $i66ers %ualitatively 6ro) all
other t,+es o6 *rou+s in that each o6 the two
+artici+ants is con6ronte$ !, onl, one other an$
not !, a collectivity. Because this t,+e o6 *rou+
$e+en$s onl, on two +artici+ants, the
with$rawal o6 one woul$ $estro, the whole: 9A
$,a$ $e+en$s on each o6 its two ele)ents
alone//in its $eath thou*h not in its li6e: for its life
it needs both# but for its death# only one.:
1Coser 1971:1-E5
Georg Simmel:
"hen a $,a$ is trans6or)e$ into a
triad
triad, the
a++arentl, insi*ni6icant 6act that one )e)!er
has !een a$$e$ actuall, !rin*s a!out a maor
%ualitative change. >n the
triad
triad, as in all
associations involvin* )ore than two +ersons,
the individual participant is confronted "ith the
possibility of being outvoted by a majority.
Georg Simmel:
3he tria$ is the si)+lest structure in which the
group as a "hole can achieve domination over
its component membersC it +rovi$es a social
6ra)ework that allows the constrainin* o6
in$ivi$ual +artici+ants 6or collective purposes=
3hus, the tria$ e8hi!its in its si)+lest 6or) the
sociolo*ical $ra)a that in6or)s all social li6e: the
$ialectic o6 freedom and constraint, of autonomy
and heteronomy.
1Coser 1971:1-75
Georg Simmel:
"hen a thir$ )e)!er enters a $,a$ic
*rou+, various +rocesses !eco)e
+ossi!le where +reviousl, the, coul$ not
take +lace. A thir$ )e)!er )a,:
#e$iate
;e<oice
7ivi$e an$ ;ule

1Coser 1971:1-75
Georg Simmel:
Real World
Applications of the
Dyadic/Triadic
Social or!
Georg Simmel:
The $hilosophy of Money
Economic exchange, &i))el ar*ues, can !est !e un$erstoo$ as a form form o6
social interaction. "hen )onetar, transactions re+lace earlier 6or)s o6
!arter, significant changes occur in the forms of interactions bet"een social
actors. #one, is su!<ect to +recise $ivision an$ )ani+ulation an$ +er)its
e8act )easure)ent o6 e4uivalents. >t is i)+ersonal in a )anner in which
o!<ects o6 !arter, like cra6te$ *on*s an$ collecte$ shells, can never !e. t
thus helps promote rational calculation in human affairs and furthers
the rationalization that is characteristic of modern society. &hen
money becomes the prevalent lin' bet"een people# its replaces personal
ties anchored in diffuse feelings by impersonal relations that are limited to a
specific purpose. Conse4uentl,, a!stract calculation inva$es areas o6 social
li6e, such as kinshi+ relations or the real) o6 esthetic a++reciation, which
were +reviousl, the $o)ain o6 qualitative rather than quantitative
a++raisals.
1Coser 1971:19'5

Georg Simmel

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Georg Simmel

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Thursday, June 19, 2014 2000-2006 by Ronald Keith Bolender 1

Born in Berlin, 0er)an, 1live$

His 6a)il, was !usiness/

His 6ather converte$ to

A )o$ern ur!an )an//without

Con6lict an$ Coo+eration

&u!or$ination an$ &u+eror$ination

Centraliation an$ 7ecentraliation

3he #an in the #i$$le

7ivi$e an$ ;ule

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