40 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
since only one-fourth of the entries, scattered through the list, can be brought under this head. Such changes might be called social processes of the third degree. Then, if it were wise to con- fuse that phrase so far, we should have named social activities, as such, the " social process of the first degree ; " changes in social activities, " social processes of the second degree ; " and changes in conditions affecting social activities, " social processes of the third degree." It appears simpler to refer to the last as changes in conditions.
The main substance of what is now suggested is that there seems to be reason for thinking that the absence of the three points of view above formulated may be the absence of principles for classifying the aspects of reality which are sociologically im- portant, while by aid of those points of view the sociologically important aspects of reality can be simply and consistently classi- fied, as forms of social activity, types of social change, and forms of conditioning relations, together with the significant changes in conditioning relations.
SECTION VI. SOCIAL PHENOMENA ARE PSYCHIC
All phenomena of consciousness are activities. Those which are called "passive," are so called only in contrast with volition and because they do not connect directly with overt deeds; in them the activity remains subjective, and is not immediately observable to onlookers. Even emotion, and each so-called "passive" experience, is a state of subjective activity.
Social phenomena are activities, whether they be "deeds" or " experiences." The phenomena of human society are human activities activities that go on in the consciousness of men. That amounts to saying that social phenomena are psychic phe- nomena. The social process is a complex of psychic activities. Social causation is the eliciting of psychic activities, and the most efficient causes of these phenomena are expressions of the psychic activities of associates. A society, in the high and important sense of that word, is a group of persons who carry on related psychic activities because they are all exposed to simi- lar solicitations to activity, each member of the group finding
