178 THE SOCIAL THEORY OF GEORG SIMMEL 
lation between the form of the self-preservation and the 
size of the group. The type and the amount of flexibility 
that are most conducive to the preservation of the group 
unity depend on a great many factors other than size. 
Small groups will, however, usually show a more pro- 
nounced type. They will preserve their unity either 
through a rigidity of structure or through flexibility of 
form. The large group has an opportunity for combining 
the two processes which is denied to the smaller group. It 
can maintain a great stability of general institutions by 
allowing a certain flexibility for small local variations. 
The foregoing considerations of the structural and func- 
tional aspects show clearly that social conservation is not 
a single simple phenomenon. It is not the result of a single 
vital social process, but the result of a great many different 
factors and a great many different processes which com- 
bine in various forms according to varying circumstances. 
. Soz., pp. 598-606.