Insecurity, Conformity and Community
James Coleman's Latent Theoretical Model of Action
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2397786 |
|---|---|
| Authors | G Yair (0000-0003-3376-1132, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 51-70 |
| Publication date | 2008-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Social Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1368-4310 • E-ISSN: 1461-7137 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1368431007085287 |
| OpenAlex | W2163642486 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 41 |
James S. Coleman was the major proponent of rational choice theory. This article challenges the traditional reading of his work by showing that under the explicit theory of rational choice lay a latent non-rational theory of action. The article shows that instead of rationality, Coleman's psychological starting point was existential insecurity; that instead of the alleged mechanism of the maximization of utility, actors choose to conform to peer values and norms in order to alleviate insecurity; and that the optimal setting for action is provided by intimate and dense communities, rather than unregulated free markets. These three non-rational presuppositions are analyzed and it is suggested that they are crucial for understanding Coleman's assessment of modernity, social change and his call for the rational reconstruction of society
Conformity · Criminology · Ecological rationality · Economics · Epistemology · Existentialism · Positive economics · Presupposition · Rationality · Sociology · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Capital and Networks · Social Psychology
Medical Innovation
Research in Sociology of Education and Socialization (Research in Sociology of Education)
Power and the Structure of Society
Rational choice theory
The Diffusion of an Innovation among Physicians
Catholic Schools and the Common Good
Structural Holes
Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital
The adolescent society
Stigma
Union democracy
Structure of Social Action
Sociological ambivalence;and other essays.
Equality of educational opportunity
On the Division of Labor in Society
In Defense of Modernity
The Diffusion of an Innovation Among Physicians
Essays in Sociological Theory
The Lonely Crowd
The Rational Reconstruction of Society
The Rational and the Ambivalent in the Social Sciences
Parental Networks, Social Closure, and Mathematics Learning
A vision for sociology
Educational Battlefields in America
The Wisconsin Model of Status Attainment
Games with Simulated Environments in Learning
The Sociology of James S. Coleman
Beyond Rational Choice Theory
Sociological Rational Choice Theory
James Coleman
Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital
Social Theory, Social Research, and a Theory of Action
Foundations for a Theory of Collective Decisions
Limitations of Rational Choice Theory
The Debate on Historical Sociology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,15 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2022 (10) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |