136 THE SOCIAL THEORY OF GEORG SIMMEL 
The Large and the Small Group 
For groups larger than triadic groups no correlation 
between specific formations and numerically definable mag- 
nitudes can be formulated. But a very clear distinction 
can still be drawn between the forms of small groups and 
the forms of large groups. The quantitative determination 
does not cease, although it can no longer be expressed in 
numerical terms. 
The correlation between the size of the group and the 
form is apparent in the gathering that meets for a social 
function. A party for thirty guests requires certain stand- 
ards of food, drink, dress, and behavior which do not exist 
for a party of two or three. In the greater social circle the 
more intimate contacts between individuals disappear, 
and this disadvantage has to be compensated for by other 
means. For that reason there is a close relation between 
the size of the social gathering and the amount of luxury 
necessary to make it a success. With the increase in size 
there will also be an increase of standardized polite behavior 
over spontaneous participation. In their purely sociologi- 
cal aspect, small groups are characterized by the fact that 
they require a larger participation on the part of the indi- 
vidual members, that they absorb a greater part of their 
personality, and that they are more clearly and sharply 
separated from one another. The larger groups show in 
these respects just the opposite sociological characteristics. 
The forms which are characteristic of large groups re- 
sult from the fact that they are forced to build special 
structures to take over the function which the immediate 
reciprocity between elements fulfils in small circles. The 
social unity can no longer be produced and preserved by 
the immediate relationships between individuals, and the 
large group must therefore build special organs in which 
L This point is more fully developed in Book II, chapter vii.