Attitude theory and behavioral costs

The Fishbein and Ajzen reasoned action model is briefly introduced and some theoretical aspects of the model arc discussed. Based on a critical analysis of the act and behavioral category concepts in their model an alternative concept, ‘behavioral field’, is introduced. A behavioral field is defined as: ‘the total of acts that are perceived by the acting individual as leading to a common goal or valued state’. Then a distinction is made between goal acts and instrumental acts, Goal acts lead to goal attainment. Instrumental acts will bring the individual into the direction of his goal. It is argued that for acts that are predominantly instrumental other substitutable acts are available. The choice between suhstitutable instrumental acts is governed by both expected outcomes and the behavioral costs attached to the acts. Behavioral costs are defined as the behavioral price relative to the behavioral budget. The behavioral price is determined by tile time, psychic and physical task demand. The behavioral budget is a function of the goal importance of the behavioral field. Some further aspects of behavioral costs are then discussed. Several arguments to treat costs and outcomes separately in the explanation of behavior, are elaborated. Then some implications from the behavioral cost concept are drawn for attitude theory. Finally the entangling of costs and value is briefly discussed.     

Assessing online misogyny: Perspectives from sociology and feminist media studies

Scholarly and lay publications have highlighted increasing online misogyny. We review the dominant, cross‐disciplinary analyses and conceptualizations of cisnormative, heterosexist, misogynistic discourses. From feminist media scholarship, we highlight four terms intended to describe acts of online misogyny: online sexual harassment, gendertrolling, e‐bile, and disciplinary rhetoric. We then review the nascent sociological concept of virtual manhood acts (VMA) and situate it within the broader context of critical gender theory. VMA use the tools of technologically facilitated misogyny; they occur in online social spaces and, using textual and visual cues to signal a masculine self, enforce hegemonic gender norms, oppress women, and keep men “in the box.” VMA align with the interactionist view of gender as action and emphasize that a physical body is not needed to signal manhood. The concept of virtual manhood acts acknowledges that women are the primary victims of online oppression without obscuring the problematic practices of men that are central to this subjugation.     

The Use of Self from a Relational Perspective

This article explores the implications of a contemporary relational perspective on the use of self in social work practice. The author is responding to an article by Andrea Reupert, who interviewed social workers and reported they tended to see their concept of self as individualistic, autonomous, and only partially defined by others, even though social work practice focuses on person-in-environment. In this article, the author expands the concept of self and argues that a contemporary view of the therapist’s self is one that is dialogic, contextualized, decentered, and multiple. Additionally, the author suggests that this relational perspective has implications for teaching and supervision. Several clinical vignettes are provided to illustrate the concepts under discussion.     

A FORMAL EXPLICATION OF THE CONCEPT OF FAMILY HOMEOSTASIS

The concept of family homeostasis and related concepts such as family rules and family feedback mechanisms came under heavy fire in a recent article by Dell (1982). It is not easy to evaluate the arguments brought forth by Dell, since the concepts in question seem to have never been formally explicated. Most of this article is devoted to an attempt to develop such a formal explication. Dell's arguments are then examined one by one in the light of this explication, and most of them are shown to be mistaken. His main conclusion, that the concept of homeostasis should be replaced by a concept of coherence, is rejected.     

Embodied cognitive neuroscience and its consequences for psychiatry

Recent years have seen the emergence of a new interdisciplinary field called embodied or enactive cognitive science. Whereas traditional representationalism rests on a fixed inside–outside distinction, the embodied cognition perspective views mind and brain as a biological system that is rooted in body experience and interaction with other individuals. Embodiment refers to both the embedding of cognitive processes in brain circuitry and to the origin of these processes in an organism’s sensory–motor experience. Thus, action and perception are no longer interpreted in terms of the classic physical–mental dichotomy, but rather as closely interlinked. This paper describes the cycles of brain–organism interaction, of sensory–motor interaction with the environment and of embodied interaction with others. The brain is then interpreted as an organ of modulation and transformation that mediates the cycles of organism–environment interaction. Finally, consequences of the embodied and enactive approach for psychiatry are pointed out, in particular for a circular concept of mental illness.     

Creating ethical work climates: A socioeconomic perspective

In this essay, I introduce a theory of ethical work climates and describe how ethical climates can be created in business firms by applying a socioeconomic perspective to the process of organizational design. I begin by discussing moral climate in general—presenting the concept of a moral climate continuum and identifying the positive moral climate as one especially conducive to ethical behavior by agents of the firm. Next, I suggest a process for determining where a firm falls along the continuum by obtaining information about prevailing organizational norms. I then proceed to outline the theory itself, analyzing how management can move a firm from the negative to the positive end of the continuum. In this analysis, I argue that a socioeconomic management perspective provides a particularly strong foundation for establishing positive moral climate. I then propose a strategy for designing key organizational processes to transmit this perspective throughout the firm. The essay concludes with an agenda for future research.     

Do today’s sociologists really appreciate Weber’s essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism?

It is noted that Max Weber is held in very high regard by the majority of contemporary sociologists, while his essay, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, is generally considered his most important as well as his most famous work. However attention is drawn to the marked contradiction between the practice of today’s sociologists in routinely heaping praise on this essay and the fact that their own self‐confessed theoretical statements constitute a direct rejection of Weber’s approach. This contradiction is illustrated by demonstrating that although The Protestant Ethic is essentially an examination of the role of motives in human action the concept of motive is effectively missing from contemporary sociology. A possible explanation for this apparent contradiction is then considered in the form of the claim that those theoretical positions favoured by contemporary sociologists could be considered as ‘developed out of’ or ‘descended from’ Weber’s theory of ‘motivational understanding’. This however is shown to be an untenable claim, given that the vocabulary of motives perspective, the treatment of motives as reasons, and rational choice theory all represent straightforward rejections of Weber’s position. Consequently it is concluded that there remains an unresolved and largely unrecognised contradiction between the iconic status accorded to Weber’s essay by contemporary sociologists and their own very obvious rejection of his theoretical approach.     

Prevention of homicidal violence in schools in Germany: the Berlin Leaking Project and the Networks Against School Shootings Project (NETWASS)

Since 1999, Germany has experienced at least twelve serious cases of targeted school violence. This article describes two projects designed to fill the gap between universal prevention and emergency response in preventing severe forms of school violence in Germany. The Berlin Leaking Project examined the viability of preventive efforts based on early identification of leaking behavior that often precedes targeted school attacks. Leaking refers to any behavior or communication that indicates a student is preparing to carry out a violent attack. This would include explicit or implied threats of violence, apparent fascination with prior acts of violence such as Columbine, and any evidence of planning or preparation to carry out an attack. The NETWASS project will test a training program and intervention strategy based on those findings, examining the usefulness of a threat assessment approach to prevent violence by training teachers to recognize leaking behavior by students. This approach is extended by training teachers on a larger scale to identify leaking and then having a school-based team evaluate the student and initiate appropriate interventions, such as mental health services, and in some cases, law enforcement action.     

Systematic Generation of Theory in Family Sociology*

This paper describes a procedure for facilitating the generation of theory useful to family sociologists. This procedure is based upon a linguistic model, and it utilizes the metaphor of literary genre as a guide. A distinction is made between the construction and the generation of sociological theory. The suggestion is made that the generation perspective may enhance the ability of theorists to find subtle interconnections among phenomena and thereby to extend fields of sociological knowledge along novel paths. The procedure itself depends first upon the construction of a binary lexicon. One such lexicon consists of one matrix of concepts describing social structure from the perspective of stabilization of social relations and a complementary matrix describing structure from the perspective of destabilization. From these matrices, one concept is chosen as a metonym or as a metaphor to act as a basis for deriving connections among the other concepts in the matrices. The manipulation of concepts from both matrices permits the development of propositions suggesting ironies and contradictions in social relations. Examples of the use of this procedure are presented, and some unresolved problems are described.     

ACHIEVING EMOTIONS IN COLLECTIVE ACTION: EMOTIONAL PROCESSES AND MOVEMENT MOBILIZATION IN THE 1989 CHINESE STUDENT MOVEMENT

This article outlines an emotional achievement perspective for the study of emotions in social movements. Following Denzin's work on emotions, I consider emotions as self-feelings that are situated, interactional, and temporal in nature. The concept of emotions as achievement complements Hochschild's emotion management perspective. While management focuses on control, achievement emphasizes articulation and creativity. I argue that, although individuals may be compelled to suppress feelings in the organizational context, different social contexts and practices make it possible for individuals to pursue emotional fulfillment and self-realization. In social movements, the process of emotional achievement among participants unfolds as a process of mobilization. An analysis of the emotional dynamics of the 1989 Chinese student movement shows that emotions were inextricably intertwined with identities and action and that the emotional dynamics generated in this process significantly contributed to movement mobilization. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical contributions of the emotional achievement perspective.     

The social power of algorithms

ABSTRACT

This article explores the questions associated with what might be thought of as the social power of algorithms. The article, which introduces a special issue on the same topic, begins by reflecting on how we might approach algorithms from a social scientific perspective. The article is then split into two sections. The first deals with the issues that might be associated with an analysis of the power of the algorithms themselves. This section outlines a series of issues associated with the functionality of the algorithms and how these functions are powerfully deployed within social world. The second section then focuses upon the notion of the algorithm. In this section, the article argues that we need to look beyond the algorithms themselves, as a technical and material presence, to explore how the notion or concept of the algorithm is also an important feature of their potential power. In this section, it is suggested that we look at the way that notions of the algorithm are evoked as a part of broader rationalities and ways of seeing the world. Exploring the notion of the algorithm may enable us to see how algorithms also play a part in social ordering processes, both in terms of how the algorithm is used to promote certain visions of calculative objectivity and also in relation to the wider governmentalities that this concept might be used to open up.     

Reconsidering equilibrium: a socio-economic perspective

Equilibrium is one of the most venerable concepts of neoclassical economics. In this paper we undertake a critical reconsideration of the concept of equilibrium within the framework of socio-economics (or economic sociology) as an analysis of the social nature, composition, and co-determination of the economy. The concept of market-economic equilibrium is critically reconsidered on the following grounds: its static implications, its spurious equation with optimum, its complex relations to social equilibrium, and its social co-determination. The conclusion is that the concept of (especially general) market equilibrium is of questionable explanatory value from the perspective of socio-economics.     

Moral Regulation: A Reformulation

Philip Corrigan and Derek Sayer introduced the concept of moral regulation to contemporary sociological debate in their historical sociology of English State formation, The Great Arch (1985). In their work they fuse Durkheimian and Foucauldian analysis with a basic Marxist theory. However, this framework gives too limited a perspective to their analysis. I suggest that moral regulation should not be seen as a monolithic project, as merely action by and for the State, nor as activity by the ruling elite only. It should be seen as a form of social control based on changing the identity of the regulated. Its object is what Weber calls Lebensführung , which refers to both the ethos and the action constituting a way of life. The means of moral regulation are persuasion, education, and enlightenment, which distinguishes it from other forms of social control. Analyzing the social relations of moral regulation provides a useful perspective on this form of social action.     

Dualismus oder Reduktion – Eine Antwort auf Gregor Bongaerts

Gregor Bongaerts (2016b) has objected to my criticism of arguments in favor of a non-reductive sociology (both articles in this journal) and my proposal of a reductive individualism more generally. This contribution defends reductive individualism as a viable program in social theory. Bongaerts’s main objection, that I do not distinguish sufficiently between creation (Urheberschaft) and causation (Verursachung), can only be understood as an objection if one conceives the social sense of an action as an irreducible collective concept. Although this possibility cannot be excluded a priori, it poses a number of fundamental challenges. Firstly, it has to be asked whether or not this position can be connected with a realization proviso (that everything social is ultimately realized by individuals). Secondly, the attribution argument used by Bongaerts is either no objection to individualism, or it is threatened by a logical regress, since it is not plausible that subsequent interpretations of an action can produce the subjective meaning related to action. Finally, the question arises whether a collectivist argument does not require a collective bearer of meaning-attribution, the existence of which can hardly be asserted within the framework of a practice theory inspired by Bourdieu. The essay ends with some questions, especially with regard to the multi-dimensionality and unity of Bongaerts’s concept of meaning (Sinn).     

Right-wing extremist violence among adolescents in Germany

What are the preconditions for right-wing extremist violence among German youths? For several years, the rate of this violence has been increasing in Germany, and the same can be observed for right-wing extremist orientations characterized by the coming together of ideologies of unequal worth and the acceptance of violence as a mode of action. And although it is emphasized that approval of and willingness to use violence do not automatically lead to actual acts of violence, this article suggests that the existence of these convictions in society helps to legitimize attitudes that become expressed in violence, in particular among youths.This article presents a five-stage process model that portrays the underlying preconditions for acts of right-wing extremist violence, the contexts in which such violence takes place, and the factors that cause it to escalate. This structural model is used to outline central empirical findings of recent German quantitative and especially qualitative studies about right-wing extremist violent offenders. For analytical reasons, the basic elements of the process model (socialization, organization, legitimation, interaction, and escalation) are treated separately. The authors also examine right-wing extremist violence from a disintegrative perspective. Given that intersubjective recognition is an existential human need, right-wing extremist violence is understood as a "productive" way of dealing with individual recognition deficits. On the basis of the integration dimensions of social disintegration theory, three fundamental recognition needs are distinguished. Right-wing extremist violence can best be explained as a consequence of recognition deficits in all three central integration dimensions.     

Class and Other Identifications in Managerial Careers: The Case of the Lemon Dress

This article responds to concerns that research in the field of careers needs to bring together an action perspective with a recognition of the continuing impact of structural and cultural imperatives. To do so this article presents a symptomatic study. Through the concept of pedagogies of the everyday, this combines an action orientation with a recognition of how such pedagogies operate within networks of power. Specifically, the article argues that the development of new gendered understandings of management careers requires greater recognition of the continuing, though now relatively neglected, saliency of class. The article offers a summary of contemporary theorizations of class and concludes with a discussion of possible future directions for this field of research.     

The Interactional Community: Emergent Fields of Collective Agency*

Social interaction is generally regarded as elemental to the notion of community. Within the broader discourse on community, the field‐interactional perspective is distinctive in its explicit focus on emergent social processes and community change dynamics. Wilkinson (1970) extended Kaufman’s (1959) early work on the interactional approach through an application of the social field concept to community action. In doing so, Wilkinson (1991) outlined several key linkages between social–symbolic interaction and community agency. Despite these promising beginnings, only a modicum of research has examined the theoretical or philosophical underpinnings of the interactional conception of community. This article explores the symbolic‐interactionist tenets undergirding the field‐interactional approach, most notably Mead’s (1934, 1938) discussion of generalized social attitudes and Blumer’s (1969a, 1969b) work on joint or collective action.     

Emotions in economic action and interaction

How do emotions influence economic action? Current literature recognizes the importance of emotions for economy because they either help individuals perform economic roles through emotion management or enhancement of emotional intelligence, or because they aid rationality through their influence on preference formation. All these strands of research investigate the link between emotions and economy from an atomistic/individualistic perspective. I argue for a different approach, one that adopts a relational perspective, focuses on emotional embeddedness and examines how emotions matter in economic interactions. Emotional embeddedness research starts with a premise that emotions result from and are influenced by interactions between economic actors during the economic process where emotional currents and their visceral and physical manifestations come to the fore. This increases the uncertainty in economic transactions and complicates the given means-ends logic of rational economic decision making, yielding economic action principles different from utility maximization. I propose two types of such creative economic action in this paper: improvisation and situational adaptation. Improvisation characterizes situations where ends (goals) and means are unclear at the beginning of a transaction process and get articulated as a consequence of emotional embeddedness experienced during a process. Situational adaptation characterizes situations in which means or ends of action change because of interaction-induced emotions that prompt actors to choose new means/ends. The article concludes with a call for empirical research that explicates further the influence of emotions not merely for rational economic action but also creative economic interactions.     

Genocide as Contentious Politics

Despite a recent turn towards the study of political violence within the field of contentious politics, scholars have yet to focus their lens on genocide. This is puzzling, as the field of collective action and social movements was originally developed in reaction to fascism (Nazism in particular), while research on collective action and research on genocide has long shown parallel findings and shared insights. This paper reviews the history of this scholarly convergence and divergence, and suggests that recent findings of research on genocide can be improved by the consideration of concepts from social movements and collective action. It then details three theories of the micro‐mechanisms that mobilize individuals for contention – framing, diffusion, and networks – and specifies how they refine existing explanations of civilian participation in genocide. In the conclusion, I suggest that a contentious politics approach to genocide would consider it one form of collective action among others, analyzable within the existing framework of collective action and social movement theory.