Deck 6: Georg Simmel

Question 1

Which of the following can NOT occur according to Simmel when individuals are faced with obstacles bearing a measure of conflict?

A) Feelings of group solidarity
B) "harmony of interest"
C) cooperation
D) distraction

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A "positive" function of conflict is to:

A) Create discord within a group.
B) Achieve unity in an interaction by resolving divergent dualisms.
C) Annihilate one of the conflicting parties.
D) Terminate sociation.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Simmel defines the "tragedy of culture" as:

A) The source of economic value for goods and goals.
B) The domination of individual will by the products of human creativity.
C) The end of economic exchange.
D) Society's move from the small, rural town to the metropolis.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Simmel's orientation on the issue of economic value would be categorized as:

A) individual, nonrational
B) individual, rational
C) collective, nonrational
D) collective, rational

Question 5

Simmel defines "sociability" as:

A) The play form of association
B) The purest and most concentrated form of all human interaction
C) The duality between conformity and differentiation
D) The highest conception indicated

Question 6

Simmel's basic theoretical orientation as established by the authors is

A) Nonrational, collective
B) Nonrational, individual
C) Rational, collective
D) Rational, individual

Question 7

The fact that modern, functionally specific organizations require only a "part" of the self illustrates which of Simmel's concepts?

A) conflict
B) sociability
C) web of association
D) exchange value

Question 8

An important element of sociability which contributes to its frictionless quality is its:

A) democratic nature
B) organizational nature
C) procedural nature
D) political nature

Question 9

Which of the following was the classical example of the "the stranger" for Simmel?

A) African Americans
B) European Jews
C) Chinese Americans
D) South Africans

Question 10

The impersonality and generalizability of money as a medium of exchange transforms

A) the nature of forms
B) the nature of social interaction
C) the nature of conflict
D) the nature of the stranger

Question 11

In contending that the stranger is "near and far at the same time," Simmel notes that the stranger

A) never stays long in a particular community
B) shares many similarities with those he interacts with
C) is unable to provide important services to the community
D) shares only the most general or common features with those he interacts with

Question 12

According to Simmel, the source of value is

A) money
B) sacrifice
C) the amount of labor time necessary to produce a good
D) intrinsic to the good or product

Question 13

Simmel was not interested necessarily in interaction itself, but rather the ______ in which interaction takes place.

A) content
B) sociability
C) forms
D) sociation

Question 14

For Simmel, the essence of society lies in

A) the relations between forces of production
B) the interactions between individuals and groups
C) the interactions between strangers
D) the relations between religion and society

Question 15

For Simmel, the source of economic value is:

A) Determined in interaction
B) The measure of sacrifice necessary to attain goods or goals
C) Listed on the price tag of a good
D) Relative to goods or goals

Question 16

A particular kind of sociability that epitomizes the duality of social life discussed in the chapter is

A) forms
B) flirtation
C) conflict
D) content

Question 17

Simmel argues that fashions

A) simultaneously express individuality and conformity
B) require the upper classes to adopt the styles of the lower classes
C) becomes more "fashionable" as more people adopt the style
D) are restricted in their development by practical concerns

Question 18

Which of the following would not be considered a "positive" function of conflict?

A) it makes possible the enduring of people we dislike or who have power over us.
B) it is a sign of more deeply emotional and caring relationships
C) it leads to feelings of indifference between individuals
D) it produces solidarity and greater integration within a group

Question 19

The __________ is the social type which is both near and far at the same time.

A) Other
B) Punk
C) Metropolitan person
D) Stranger

Question 20

Simmel believes society and the individuals that compose it constitute an interdependent

A) singularity
B) exchange value
C) stranger society
D) duality

Question 21

Contemporary society contains a Simmelian irony: as we try to express our uniqueness or individuality through fashion, we often turn to buying mass produced, standardized goods.

Question 22

How is Simmel's analysis of urban life similar to the work of Marx and Weber?

A) all embrace post-modernism
B) all critique feudalism
C) all critique modernity
D) all embrace industrialization

Question 23

Which of the following combines with the blasé attitude to hinder the development of an emotionally meaningful life?

A) anomie
B) money economy
C) verstehen
D) forces of production

Question 24

In discussing the concept of fashion, Simmel states "as fashion spreads, it

A) becomes more exclusive"
B) gradually goes to its doom"
C) increases its potency"
D) mimics religion"

Question 25

Simmel believes society and the individuals that compose it exist as interdependent duality.

Question 26

The play form of association is termed sociability.

Question 27

City dwellers that hate but are forced to live in the city develop a blasé attitude.

Question 28

The metropolitan person is bombarded with sensory impressions that lead him to adopt, out of necessity, an _______ approach to life.

A) emotional
B) intellectualized
C) idealized
D) functional

Question 29

Being assigned or identified as a type of individual is a product of one's relationship to others.

Question 30

According to Simmel, fashion only symbolizes conformity to the group.

Question 31

In "The Metropolis and Mental Life," Simmel argues that the metropolitan person adopts a "blasé attitude." By "blasé attitude" he means:

A) An intensifying of emotional reactions
B) An un-intellectual approach to life
C) A psychological device that protects the individual from becoming overwhelmed by the intensity of city life
D) An attitude necessary to foster a rich emotional life

Question 32

The stranger can also be identified as the outcast of a group.

Question 33

Sociability establishes an artificial world which is considered frictionless.

Question 34

Inhabitants of small towns are bound together by emotional bounds.

Question 35

According to Simmel, the source of value is labor power.

Question 36

The stranger shares many similarities with the individuals he interacts with.

Question 37

From Simmel's perspective conflict can provide positive benefits for individuals and society.

Question 38

Simmel's tragedy of culture is reminiscent of Marx's commodity fetishism.

Question 39

The metropolitan personality experiences "quality" and differences as meaningless.

Question 40

Sociologists following Simmel's perspective focus on the content of interactions.

Question 41

Define the term "sociability" and explain how it connects within social life.

Question 42

Compare and contrast Simmel and Marx's conceptions of value.

Question 43

According to Simmel, what effects does the metropolis have on the psychology and intellect of individuals? How do these effects, in turn, effect expression of individuality? What role does money play in these processes?

Question 44

Explain Simmel's quote "I know I shall die without intellectual heirs, and that is how it should be" in the context of Simmel's body of work and the discipline of sociology as a whole.

Question 45

Define Simmel's blasé attitude and provide concrete examples of it. If your school is not in a metropolitan area, discuss whether your community exhibits this attitude.

Question 46

Summarize Simmel's main points concerning his analysis of fashion.

Question 47

Explain the meaning of the following passage from Simmel's, The Stranger:

Question 48

Explain the concept of flirtation within Simmel's larger framework of duality. Also, provide other forms of sociability and explain how they function as a play-form of association.

Question 49

What role does interaction play in establishing the value of objects or goods? What roles do the quality of objects and the scarcity of objects play in establishing value?

Question 50

Explain the difference between content and form in regards to interaction. Provide a concrete contemporary example to illustrate your understanding.

Question 51

Discuss Simmel's concept of duality and how it affects the nature of individuality.

Question 52

What is the common denominator or central theme in Simmel's work? What theoretical issue/s does this theme raise? Provide examples.

Question 53

Define and explain with a real world example Simmel's concept of "web of association."

Question 54

Explain the following quote from Simmel's The Stranger: "The stranger is near and far at the same time, as in any relationship based on merely universal human similarities."

Question 55

Compare and contrast Simmel's The Metropolis and Mental Life with Durkheim's view of the division of labor.

Question 56

Simmel wrote essays on such topics as fashion, conflict, and flirtation. Use concrete examples from Simmel's work and your own examples to explain their relationship and application to today's world.