elective affinity
Entry from World dictionary
Definition of elective affinity
noun
Origin:
mid 18th century (as elective attraction): originally a technical term for the preferential combination of chemical substances, it was widely used figuratively in the 19th century, notably by Goethe (in his novel Die Wahlverwandschaften 'Elective Affinities') and by Weber (in describing the correspondence between aspects of Protestantism and capitalism)