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 pronounced
 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 functional
 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 combine
 in various forms according to varying circumstances.

. Soz., pp. 598-606.