ABSTRACT
The fact that society has an existence apparently independent of the single individuals gives it the appearance of a structure of independent reality. It seems to lead a life according to specific laws, by virtue of special forces, independent of its individual components. The concept of society has significance only when it stands in some kind of contrast to that of the sum of individuals. The essence of group unity consists in the reciprocal relations of its elements, and a group or a society may be said to exist where individuals are in reciprocal relations. The concept of society as applied in the scientific study of society is a formal concept. It stands for something quantitative and essentially dynamic. Society is not something concrete, but something functional. It is not a thing, but a process, or rather a number of interacting processes; and, on account of this fundamental characteristic, it is better to speak, not of society, but of socialization.
