APA式英語論文コミュの[表現] sui generis

One of the oldest and most persistent approaches to the science of culture is to consider culture an ontologically distinct superorganism whose lows are "sui generis" and do not arise from individual thoughts and behaviors but govern how indivudual think and behave in socisial contexts (White, 1949)

Sui Generis = 特異な、独自の

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(English pronunciation (IPA): /ˌsuːiˈdʒɛnərɪs/, roughly "SOO-ee JEN-er-ihs", Latin pronunciation: /ˌsuːiˈgeneris/) is a Neo-Latin expression, literally meaning of its own kind/genus or unique in its characteristics.[1] The expression was effectively created by scholastic philosophy to indicate an idea, an entity or a reality that cannot be included in a wider concept.[citation needed] In the structure "genus → species" a species that heads its own genus is sui generis. This does not, however, mean that all genera with only a single member are composed of sui generis species. It is only if the genus was specifically created to refer to that one species, with no other known examples, that the species is sui generis. If the species is alone merely due to extinction, as in the case of the Homo genus, the surviving species is not sui generis, because other members of the genus are known, even if they are not currently alive.

社会科学の文脈では、デュルケームが心理還元主義に対する批判として使っているようです。

In the sociology of Emile Durkheim, sui generis is used to illustrate his theories on social existence. Durkheim states that the main object of sociology is to study social facts. These social facts can only be explained by other social facts. They have a meaning of their own and cannot be reduced to psychological or biological factors. Social facts have a meaning of their own, they are 'sui generis'. Durkheim states that when one takes an organization and replaces some individuals with some others, the essence of the organization does not (necessarily) change. It can happen, for example, that over the course of a few decades, the entire staff of an organisation is replaced, while the organisation retains its distinctive character. Durkheim does not limit this thought to organisation, but extends it to the whole society: he maintains that society, as it was there before any living individual was born, is independent of all individuals. His sui generis (its closest English meaning in this sense being 'independent') society will furthermore continue its existence after the individual ceases to interact with it.