Georg Simmel (1858-1918) was a German sociologist and professor at the University of Berlin. He founded the German Society for Society along with his contemporaries Max Weber and Ferdinand Tönnies.
Simmel studied social structure and was especially
interested individual and small group dynamics as a means of better understanding
macro-level phenomena. He is well known for his work exploring the distinctive
dynamics that occur between pairs of individuals, dyads, versus between three individuals, triads – concepts which he addressed in his book Philosophy of Money (1907). Simmel
explained that individuals maintain their own identity when part of a dyad, however,
this shifts with the entry of an additional actor. In triads, small group
dynamics begin to emerge which causes individuality to diminish and become subordinate
to the group. This discovery has had
important implications for the analysis of social networks. The role of an
individual in a triad can take on a variety of functions – as a broker
mediating between two others and fostering the establishment of alliances or,
conversely, as an actor operating in a coercive manner. Understanding the
nature of triadic relations can help analysts better understand the dynamics of
a network including, Simmel argued, of larger structures (ie. institutions and
cultures).
Simmel struggled to gain recognition during his lifetime,
but his works have since become foundational in the study urban sociology,
symbolic interactionism and social network analysis.
Additional works of interest to the field of social network
analysis include: The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903), The Stranger (1908),
and “The Web of Group Affiliations” (1955[1908]).
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