Sociology views psychological events through sociological lenses: Our actions and thoughts stem from our interactions. Sociology abstracts these interactions from specific content, and it recognizes societies' evolution and degrees of socialization. Just as cellular interactions reveal life's processes, person-to-person interactions uncover society's basic mechanisms. Unity in society is achieved internally rather than by external observers. Sociology can investigate the presuppositions of society, focusing on individuals' inherent drives and capacities for social interaction.

People often perceive others through generalized categories, which influences interactions, also across social groups. People balance their personal and societal dimensions, which shapes their identities and roles within society. So, society both shapes individual identity and emerges from individuals. 

Even in ostensibly equal societies, individuals remain unequal, while occupying predetermined positions within the social schema. The idea of vocation suggests a harmony between individual nature and societal structures, where each person's uniqueness contributes to the collective framework. Society, then, operates under the assumption that every individual has a defined place and function, shaping consciousness and actions.

 

Source:

Simmel, G. (1908), Das Problem der Soziologie, in: Soziologie - Untersuchungen über die Formen der Vergesellschaftung, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot.