scispace - formally typeset
Journal ArticleDOI

Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@@The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration.

Alan Sica, +1 more
- 01 May 1986 - 
- Vol. 15, Iss: 3, pp 344
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
Giddens as mentioned in this paper has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade and outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form.
Abstract
Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In "The Constitution of Society" he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens' concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. "The Constitution of Society" is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.

read more

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI

Institutional re(turns) and the strategic-relational approach.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors distinguish and comment on three different forms of the institutional turn: thematic, methodological, and ontological, and argue that the returns from any given institutional turn are by no means guaranteed to be positive.
Book Chapter

Motivating Sustainable Consumption

Abstract: ........................................................................................................................ iii Executive Summary....................................................................................................... v Part 1 Framing the Debate ................................................................................ v Part 2 Models of Consumer Behaviour ........................................................... vi Part 3 Towards Behavioural Change ............................................................... xi PART 1: FRAMING THE DEBATE........................................................................ 1 1 Towards Sustainable Consumption Policy ............................................................ 3 1.1 The Challenge of Behavioural Change ...................................................... 3 1.2 The Challenge of Sustainable Consumption.............................................. 4 1.3 Terms of Reference for this Review.......................................................... 5 1.4 The Question of Evidence.......................................................................... 5 1.5 The Limitations of Systematic Review...................................................... 6 1.6 Overview of the Structure .......................................................................... 7 2 Consumption: the vanguard of history? ................................................................. 9 2.1 Consumption and Well-Being.................................................................... 9 2.2 Consumption and Needs .......................................................................... 10 2.3 Consumption and Desire .......................................................................... 11 2.4 Ordinary and Inconspicuous Consumption.............................................. 13 2.5 Consumption and Identity........................................................................ 13 2.6 The Symbolic Role of Consumer Goods ................................................. 14 2.7 Consumption as Social Conversation ...................................................... 15 2.8 Consumption and the Pursuit of Meaning ............................................... 16 2.9 Conclusions .............................................................................................. 17 PART 2: MODELS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ........................................... 19 3 The Role of Models .............................................................................................. 21 4 Rational Choice.................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Consumer Preference Theory................................................................... 30 4.2 The Attribute (Lancaster) Model ............................................................. 31 4.3 Rational Choice in Non-Purchasing Behaviour ....................................... 32 5 Against Rational Choice ...................................................................................... 35 5.1 Bounded Rationality, Habit and Emotion................................................ 35 5.2 The Argument against Individualism....................................................... 37 5.3 The Moral Critique ................................................................................... 39 6 Adjusted Expectancy-Value Theory.................................................................... 43 6.1 Simple Expectancy-Value Attitude Theory............................................. 43 6.2 Means-End Chain Theory........................................................................ 44 Motivating Sustainable Consumption ii 6.3 The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) .................................................. 46 6.4 The Theory of Planned Behaviour ........................................................... 48 7 Moral and Normative Conduct ............................................................................ 51 7.1 Ecological Value Theory ......................................................................... 52 7.2 Norm Activation Theory.......................................................................... 54 7.3 Stern’s Value Belief Norm Theory.......................................................... 56 7.4 The Focus Theory of Normative Conduct ............................................... 58 8 The Matter of Habit .............................................................................................. 63 8.1 Cognitive effort – control, automaticity and heuristics ........................... 64 8.2 The Role of Habit and Routine ................................................................ 65 8.3 Framing, Priming and Bias ...................................................................... 66 9 Sociality and Self ................................................................................................. 69 9.1 The Social-Symbolic Self ........................................................................ 70 9.2 The Project of Symbolic Self-Completion............................................... 73 9.3 Self-Concept, Cognitive Dissonance and Spillover ................................. 76 9.4 Self-Discrepancy Theory ......................................................................... 77 9.5 Social Identity Theory.............................................................................. 79 9.6 Cultural Theory........................................................................................ 84 10 Integrative Theories of Consumer Behaviour .................................................. 89 10.1 Structuration and Social Practices............................................................ 89 10.2 Stern’s Attitude-Behaviour-Context Model............................................. 92 10.3 Triandis’ Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour .......................................... 93 10.4 The Motivation-Opportunity-Abilities model.......................................... 95 10.5 Bagozzi’s Model of Consumer Action .................................................... 97 10.6 Summary Discussion ........................................................................... 99 PART 3: TOWARDS BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE ............................................ 103 11 Change, Persuasion and Learning.................................................................. 105 11.1 Persuasion Theory.................................................................................. 106 11.2 The Elaboration Likelihood Model........................................................ 107 11.3 Social Learning Theory.......................................................................... 109 11.4 Control, Helplessness and Participatory Problem Solving .................... 112 11.5 Breaking ‘Bad’ Habits ........................................................................... 114 11.6 Community-Based Social Marketing..................................................... 118 11.7 Summary Discussion ............................................................................. 119 12 Policy Options and Opportunities .................................................................. 121 12.1 Policy Options in Historical and Cultural Context ............................ 122 12.2 Policy Opportunities in Social and Institutional Context .................. 127 12. 3 Concluding Remarks.......................................................................... 132 References .................................................................................................................. 135 Motivating Sustainable Consumption
Journal ArticleDOI

The Embeddedness of Organizations: Dialogue & Directions

TL;DR: In this article, an integrated framework that considers the sources, mechanisms, outcomes, and strategic implications of embeddedness is presented, including cross-level issues (such as collective cognition and nesting), as well as issues related to temporality, networks, and methodology.
Journal ArticleDOI

Organizations As Adaptive Systems in Complex Environments: the Case of China

Max Boisot, +1 more
- 01 Mar 1999 - 
TL;DR: This paper treats organizations as adaptive systems that have to match the complexity of their environments with the outlines of a possible agenda for future research, focusing on the investigation of complexity handling modes and the contingencies which may bear upon the choice between them.
Journal ArticleDOI

Small island developing states: natural disaster vulnerability and global change

TL;DR: In this article, a framework for assessing the interaction of global pressures and local dynamics in the production of human vulnerability is presented, and it is concluded that this is a critical time for small island developing states (SIDS) which must contend with ongoing developmental pressures in addition to growing pressures from risks associated with global environmental change and economic liberalisation that threaten their physical and economic security.
References
More filters
Book

Urban social segregation

Ceri Peach