Social circle

With the sociological model of social circles , Georg Simmel wants to illustrate the relationships between the individual and his environment.

According to Simmel, individuality comes about solely because every person stands in a unique intersection of social circles . Simmel manifests his thesis of social circles in his 1890 essay On Social Differentiation . The study is considered to be the forerunner of the theory of social role .

Object definition

The chance of birth determines who belongs to the very first concentric circle: the family. Other primary circles are the neighborhood, the village, the school, etc. Interests and disposition do not play a role for belonging to the primary social circle. The individual is involved in a get-together that is neutral towards his or her individuality.

With the spiritual development and the increase in the freedom of the individual , membership can soon be chosen. The intellectuality serves as the basis for the formation of new rational social circles. The group formation takes place on the basis of conscious considerations (choice of profession, member of a certain association in order to get to influential people etc.). The circles are no longer concentric, as each new connection (as husband to wife, as an officer in the army, as a member of the club) to the individual exists independently of one another.

This can result in complex intersections of the circles. According to Simmel, this creates the individuality of an individual. Individuality only arises through membership in a large number of different social groups. It is precisely through the various requirements of the circles that the individual becomes aware of himself as a unique unit / personality . It is considered unlikely that another contemporary can have exactly the same group combination.

See also

• social relationship
• social group
• social network (sociology)

Web links

• Original text: Georg Simmel: About social differentiation. Sociological and psychological investigations, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1890, Chapter 5: Crossing social circles (pp. 100–116)