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INTRODUCTION In developing scientific theory there is perhaps nothing more propi tious than a compelling metaphor. If the metaphor is rich in imagery, complexly differentiated, emotionally evocative, and vitally wedded to the cultural lore, the theory to which it gives rise may enjoy a long and vigorous life. If the metaphor is sufficiently powerful, the theory may even be sustained in independence of systematic empirical support. Role theory is likely to remain prosperous so long as there is a thriving theater; decision theory experienced a dramatic rejuvenation with the development of the electronic computer; and, in spite of its archaic construction, Jungian theory will prevail so long as...
Social Exchange in Developing Relationships is a collection of papers that deals with the systematic study of the development of relationships. The papers discuss several theoretical perspectives, such as evolutionary theory, personality theory, cognitive developmental theory, equity theory, role theory, and attribution theory. One paper discusses romantic relationships—the evolution of first acquaintance to close or intimate commitment. Another paper presents the hypothesis that the factors causing a relationship to begin will also probably steer intermediate cognitive processes, eventually influencing the nature of the relationship. Commitment requires specific concepts such as input lev...
Explaining Conversations offers a different way of interpreting people's social exchanges than has been available in the past. The book is replete with examples of people's verbal interactions in the form of chats, arguments, debates, and negotiations, both within a culture and across cultures. The volume's subtitle, A Developmental Social-Exchange Theory, identifies a theme featured in Chapters 2 and 5--the typical pattern by which social-exchange skills evolve over the first two decades of life. Throughout the book, the underlying meanings of conversations are interpreted in terms of (a) the needs people seek to fulfill through their conversations, (b) the influence of a person's culture on what is said, (c) individuals' patterns of thought (metacognition) during a conversation, (d) how people's expectations about a conversation affect what they will say, and (e) strategies individuals adopt to achieve their goals. The book includes a chapter designed to guide parents and teachers in promoting young children's and adolescents' social-exchange skills.
Coercive Power in Social Exchange describes the progression and results of a decade-long program of experimental research on power in social exchange relations. Exchange theorists have traditionally excluded punishment and coercion from the scope of their analyses; Molm examines whether exchange theory can be expanded to include both reward and coercive power. Working within the framework of Emerson's power-dependence theory, but also drawing on the decision theory concepts of strategic action and loss aversion, Molm develops and tests a theory of coercion in social exchange that emphasizes the interdependence of these two bases of power. Her work shows that reward power and coercive power are fundamentally different, not only in their effects on behavior but also in the structural incentive to use power and the risks of power use. When exchanges are nonnegotiated and secured by the "shadow of the future", rather than by binding agreements, dependence both encourages and constrains the use of coercion.
In his landmark study of exchange and power in social life, Peter M. Blau contributes to an understanding of social structure by analyzing the social processes that govern the relations between individuals and groups. The basic question that Blau considers is: How does social life become organized into increasingly complex structures of associations among humans.This analysis, first published in 1964, represents a pioneering contribution to the sociological literature. Blau uses concepts of exchange, reciprocity, imbalance, and power to examine social life and to derive the more complex processes in social structure from the simpler ones. The principles of reciprocity and imbalance are used to derive such processes as power, changes in group structure; and the two major forces that govern the dynamics of complex social structures: the legitimization of organizing authority of increasing scope and the emergence of oppositions along different lines producing conflict and change.
Esta publicacion recoge las contribuciones mas importantes que se presentaron en el segundo seminario internacional de politica social, cuyo tema de discusion fue la naturaleza del estado del bienestar y en particular, de los procesos de cambio social entre individuos y colectivos. Esta dividido en cuatro secciones: La primera incluye contribuciones que se refieren al contexto europeo, la segunda parte se dedica a la accion del voluntariado. La tercera seccion se ocupa de buscar nuevas fuentes y nuevos enfoques en el tema de la accion social. La cuarta seccion aborda monograficamente la implementacion de programas de salarios y beneficios sociales, con una referencia especifica al caso del pais vasco.
This 1976 book provides a systematic exposition of the principle components of exchange theory, and goes on to give a critique of these theories, paying particular attention to the success of their empirical applications. It concludes that exchange theory has an important part to play in the development of social science.