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SOCIOLOGY

3G

socialization are brought together under one unifying scientific
 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 necessary
 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 structure
 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 similar
 forms of relationship between individuals in groups
which are wholly dissimilar in aim and purpose. Superiority
 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.