Toward a Formal Theory of Social Processes

A research program informed by Simmers geometric and Mead's processual frame of thought has isolated (1) the six elements of sociation that are established each time people produce a cooperative act, (2) the additional elements created when people construct episodes of interpersonal accounting and interpersonal negotiating, (3) some of the elements created when people put in place tyrannic, solidary, authority, and representative relationships, and (4) a few of the elements established when people become organizationally situated.     

If Simmel Were A Fieldworker: On Formal Sociological Theory And Analytical Field Research*

In this paper, an attempt is made to apply the methodological principles of SimmeFs formal sociology to fieldwork and, thus, to lay out systematically the methodological foundations of “analytical field research.” The paper centers around three major methodological principles: (a) shifting the emphasis from actual facts to the particular analytical perspectives from which they are viewed; (b) establishing concern with formal patterns which are abstracted from reality rather than with its concrete contents; (c) studying only selected aspects of concrete phenomena and making a commitment to particular analytical concerns and foci. Based on these methodological principles, certain guidelines for analytical field researchers are then recommended.     

A Formal Restatement of Durkheim's "Division of Labor" Theory

Despite frequent references in the sociological literature to Durkheim's theory about the division of labor, sociologists have made few attempts to test it. The paucity of attempts and the very debatable outcomes thereof are due largely to Durkheim's use of the traditional discursive mode of theory construction. A discursively stated theory's logical structure is likely to be obscure, and for that reason alone tests of it are difficult and controversial. Rather than perpetuate the exegetical tradition in sociological treatments of the subject, this paper restates Durkheim's theory in accordance with a particular formal mode. That restatement identifies the theory's shortcomings and problems. But the eight premises imply only one testable theorem, and the theorem's predictive accuracy appears minimal unless "population concentration" is substituted for "density" in the first axiom. Nonetheless, the restatement clearly shows how extension of the theory (additional postulates) could further its testability.     

Family Research and Theory in Denmark

A social revolution has occured in Denmark over the last quarter century. Danish family research during this period has been conducted in three settings: the Danish National Institute of Social Research; University departments of developmental and clinical psychology and sociology; and University based feminist research. Research within these contexts is reviewed with attention given to the impact of political and social change on research agendas. major theoretical and methodological influences are presented for each research context.     

Grounded Theory Methods and Qualitative Family Research

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Family Theory and Research in Great Britain

This paper argues that the development of family research and theory in Great Britain has been strengthened by the fluidity of boundaries between various disciplines and methodolo- gies employed in the explanation of family life. Indeed, changes in the definition of family have been at the heart of the diversity and fluidity characteristic of the study of family. Studies of economic issues, gender and class distinctions, and family processes have involved vari- ous perspectives in research and theory building. Future directions for research suggest the need to explore linkages between British scholars and the wider community of family scholars, topics related to family morality or obligation, further development of qualitative and quantitative methods in family research, and continued exchanges between scholars and policy makers.     

Family Theory and Research in Greece:

Major influences on the Greek family of recent decades have been decrease in the birthrate, the abolition of the institution of the dowry, and changes in migratory patterns. This review highlights specific studies of family change related to demographic and eco- nomic changes in Greece. The authors conclude that family research has been closely linked with family policy. Little attention is given to the need for theoretical development, methodological refinement, or collaboration.     

Intraorganizational Implementation Research: Theory and Method

The article presents a process by which qualitative case studyimplementation research may be cumulated. Using the conceptof the hermeneutic spiral, an iterative process is employedin order to increase understanding of welfare implementationsince the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity ReconciliationAct. This process involves a review of recent welfare reformliterature, the use of the knowing organization model (KOM)as a research frame for understanding the existing literatureand the application of the KOM to primary data collected fromcounty welfare offices in Pennsylvania.     

Formal network studies and the anthropological perspective

Anthropological social network studies are primarily of interest for an original formulation of the classic sociological problem of reconciling structural and action aspects of social organization. In general, however, these studies have produced disappointing substantive results owing to serious methodological and theoretical difficulties. Within the anthropological tradition are two types of research, viz., structural kinship studies and cognitive anthropological decision models, which have produced sound substantive results and which, if generalized and properly combined, could provide the methodological and theoretical tools which eluded the network scholars.     

Status of Family Theory and Research in Switzerland

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Status of Family Theory and Research in Japan

. This paper examines the development of family research and theory in Japan in the context of family change sinceWorldWar II. Among the topics explored are: the increasingly aging society, decrease in birth rate, child rearing practices of over-protection and non-supervi- sion, increasing independence and its impact on family cohesiveness, and economic and technological development. Theoretical approaches to fam- ily research in Japan are discussed; including the life course perspective, family stress theory, the feminist perspective, and social network theory. Comparative studies are reviewed.     

State of Family Research and Theory in Korea

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Observations of Social Processes and Their Formal Representations

Distinctions between quantitative and qualitative social science misrepresent the actual choices confronting analysts of observations concerning social processes. Analysts regularly (if not always self‐consciously) choose between adopting and avoiding formal representations of social processes. Despite widespread prejudices to the contrary, formalisms are available and helpful for all sorts of social scientific evidence, including those commonly labeled as qualitative. Available formalisms vary in two important regards: (1) from direct to analogical representation of the evidence at hand; and (2) from numerical to topological correspondence between formalism and evidence. Adoption of formalisms facilitates the identification of erroneous arguments, hence the correction of analytic errors and the production of more adequate explanations .