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SOCIOLOGY 
3G 
socialization are brought together under one unifying sci- 
entific concept in mental detachment from their content. 
In order to differentiate the various fields of scientific 
inquiry from the unitary and complex actuality, it is neces- 
sary to abstract from that actuality the similar and related 
phenomena by means of such synthesizing concepts. But 
the mere subjective needs of cognition are not a sufficient 
legitimation of the use of such concepts. There must also 
be a justification in the structure of the objectivity for 
the specific concepts selected. If there does not exist a 
functional relationship of some sort between these integral 
concepts and the outside world, there is no protection 
against unfruitful inquiries and against the use of purely 
fortuitous and arbitrary concepts. 
The concept of society as form can therefore be used 
as the integral concept of sociology only if there exists such 
a functional relation between that concept and the social 
actuality. The differentiation between the form and the 
content of social phenomena and the synthesis of the latter 
into a field of special scientific inquiry are legitimate only 
if that differentiation can be justified by the actual struc- 
ture of society. That justification exists if two conditions 
are fulfilled. Similar forms of socialization must occur with 
quite dissimilar content, and similar social interests must 
be found in quite dissimilar forms of socialization. 
That this is the case cannot be denied. There are simi- 
lar forms of relationship between individuals in groups 
which are wholly dissimilar in aim and purpose. Superior- 
ity and subordination, competition, imitation, division of 
labor, formation of parties, and countless other forms of 
relationship are found both in civic groups and in religious 
communities, in bands of conspirators and in industrial 
organizations, in art schools and in families. However 
diverse the interests from which the socializations arise.