“Typological” problematics in the heritage of G. Simmel

Abstract

The article identifies three research areas related to the “typological” issues in the scientific heritage of G. Simmel: social types as a social phenomenon and the subject of research, everyday typification as the basis for interpersonal interactions, type construction as a process of theoretical conceptualization of the studied phenomena.
Within the framework of the first direction, G. Simmel did not propose any definitions of the concept of “social types”, nor a methodology for their identification and study. Nevertheless, his descriptions of various examples of social types served as a starting point for the development of research on such a phenomenon.
The second direction of the “typological” problematics in G. Simmel’s works is related to the consideration of typifications carried out by individuals in everyday life by mentally complementing the image of Another based on fragmentary captured and perceived characteristics. It is exactly such a process that is the primary reason for understanding and interpersonal interaction.
The third area deals with types in the role of analytical tools: constructed by the researcher models (abstracted from the content of individual objects). Moreover, they are constructed, and not deduced through inductive generalizations based on a series of empirical observations, although relying on such observations.