50 THE SOCIAL THEORY OF GEORG SIMMEL 
Sociology is the result of a similar differentiation. The 
socialization of individuals is the result of psychological 
processes within these individuals. But sociology is not 
interested in these processes as such. It is interested in the 
content of these processes, but from a special point of view, 
namely, with reference to the resulting relations between 
the individuals. It views the psychological occurrences 
within the individuals in their synopsis, that is, as a unity; 
and its interest is in the resulting association. Its subject- 
matter is not those processes, but the forms of socialization 
which are the result of those processes. 
With regard to the fact that the relation of primus infer 
pares tends to become a relation of superiority and subor- 
dination, the sociologist is interested, not in the primary 
psychological processes, but in questions such as the fol- 
lowing: How do the various stages of “superordination 
and subordination’ succeed one another? To what degree 
is subordination in one relationship compatible with equal- 
ity in others? Beginning with what degree of superordina- 
tion does the superiority wholly destroy the equality? 
Sociology abstracts the sociological form from the psy- 
chological actualities which are its bearers in the same 
way as geometry abstracts the spatial form from the ma- 
terial substance. Just as the study of geometry remains 
separate from physics or chemistry, just so the study of 
sociology remains separate from psychology. The data of 
sociology are psychological occurrences whose immediate 
actuality presents itself first to the psychological cate- 
gories. The latter, however, although indispensable for a 
rendering of the facts, remain outside the purpose of soci- 
ological investigation. 
This difference between sociology and psychology is 
the identical difference which exists between sociology and 
L Soz., pp. 21-24.