Normal type

The normal type is a sociological technical term for classification of social phenomena. The concept of the normal type or normal term goes back to Ferdinand Tönnies, which it occasionally used the term ideational type. The normal type of Tönnies is a precursor of the ideal type of Max Weber.

Tönnies sharply divided between the realm of concepts to which the normal type belongs, and the realm of reality, is traded in the socially. In the First Pure sociology is axiomatic and deductive steps to form concepts, explained in the Second Applied Sociology with acquired from the First terms of reality. According to Tönnies, the reality can not be explained without concepts from the realm of concepts, because otherwise one must explain an object of investigation by a term which already contained this investigation object itself. However, this would come close to begging the question, and would therefore be problematic.

In contrast to Tönnies ' normal type concept formation with Max Weber is not entirely settled by means of ideal types in a realm of terms: ideal types is formed rather by accentuating highlight important features of reality and abstraction. Today we speak instead of the formation of normal terms in many areas rather modeling.