Sex, smoking, and social stratification are three very different
social phenomena. And yet, argues sociologist Randall Collins, they
and much else in our social lives are driven by a common force:
interaction rituals. "Interaction Ritual Chains" is a major work of
sociological theory that attempts to develop a "radical
microsociology." It proposes that successful rituals create symbols
of group membership and pump up individuals with emotional energy,
while failed rituals drain emotional energy. Each person flows from
situation to situation, drawn to those interactions where their
cultural capital gives them the best emotional energy payoff.
Thinking, too, can be explained by the internalization of
conversations within the flow of situations; individual selves are
thoroughly and continually social, constructed from the outside
in.
The first half of "Interaction Ritual Chains" is based on the
classic analyses of Durkheim, Mead, and Goffman and draws on
micro-sociological research on conversation, bodily rhythms,
emotions, and intellectual creativity. The second half discusses
how such activities as sex, smoking, and social stratification are
shaped by interaction ritual chains. For example, the book
addresses the emotional and symbolic nature of sexual exchanges of
all sorts--from hand-holding to masturbation to sexual
relationships with prostitutes--while describing the interaction
rituals they involve. This book will appeal not only to
psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists, but to those in
fields as diverse as human sexuality, religious studies, and
literary theory.
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