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This paper outlines the interpretive conception of social interaction and examines it in terms of the mode of description required for deductive explanation. It is argued that interpretive descriptions of interaction cannot satisfy the requirements of literal description imposed by the logic of deductive explanation. The consequences of this for interpretive conceptions are outlined. In particular, attention is given to the suggestion that the process of interpretation itself be taken for investigation, as proposed in the study of sociolinguistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt to conceptualize social structure must ultimately confront the dilemma posed by the problem of agency. The emerging consensus among sociologists is that society consists of both powerful, determining structures and actors that possess a degree of efficacy, freedom, and creative independence. This paper is an attempt to aid in developing an approach to role theory that is more versatile and more capable of addressing the agency-structure duality. First, a definition of role as a "cultural object" is proposed. This new conceptualization views roles as resources in the production of both agency and structure. Second, two dimensions of role variance are introduced: role type and role use. It is argued that this distinction between the types of resources and the uses of resources can serve as a theory of the middle range, directing and enhancing empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural explanations of the production of inequality in organizations often mimic economics in their choice of both variables and theoretical accounts. The "new structuralism" typically has neglected important social psychological processes such as social comparison categorization, and interpersonal attraction and affiliation. This paper illustrates how some basic social psychological tenets can substantially enrich the analysis of the division of labor in organizations, the assignment of wages to positions, and the process through which individuals are matched with work roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This participant observation study of the emotional socialization of disturbed 3- to 5-year-olds in a therapeutic school focuses on how children are instructed to interpret their feelings, to identify what emotions are appropriate to feel and display, and to modify their expressive behaviors. Analysis shows that staff members make explicit verbal connections among three aspects of emotional experience-situational stimuli, expressive gestures, and emotion words-to teach children how to identify their feelings; the physiological sensations that accompany different emotions are not mentioned. The interactional context influences the specific verbal connections made for the child; in explaining the child's feelings, situational stimuli and emotion words are linked, but in explaining other people's feelings, expressive gestures and emotion labels are linked. Staff members offer much more elaborate explanations of normative feelings and displays when a child exhibits inappropriate affect or behavior. The results of this analysis help elaborate the "sociocentric model" of emotional socialization which was described by Harris and Olthof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vignettes describing a hypothetical four-person group were presented to subjects, who were asked to allocate $1000.00 to the members. The vignettes incorporated four independent variables: whether the group had succeeded or failed; whether the allocation was of pay or of charges: whether a particular group member had contributed more or less than others; and whether that same member had wasted more or less. Subjects allocated more reward to high positive and low negative contributors, and more often allocated equally when the group had succeeded than failed, and when the individuals contributions were inconsistent than consistent. Equity was followed when retards were allocated but not costs. A two-step decision process is suggested, in which information about individuals and about the group enter at different points, and in which costs affect the process differently from rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]