Social Mindscapes: An Invitation to Cognitive Sociology

Franks, David D.; Zerubavel, Eviatar

doi:10.2307/2655014

Cited by 138 publications

(73 citation statements)

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“…The image of the house appears as a separate unit that does not imply an extended household of common yards and other relatives living in geographical proximity. Houses appear as iconic images embodying a natural association of a signifier with a real building providing a place to live, as well as an artificial association of signifiers such as a dining table symbolizing togetherness (Zerubavel, 1997).…”

Section: Home Sweet Homementioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the 'Proper Family' in Palestinian-Arab Society in Israel as Reflected in Family Members' Drawings

Meler

Marnin-Distelfeld

2023

J Ethn Cult Stud

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Family lives in Palestinian-Arab society in Israel have undergone considerable changes in recent decades. These changes have made it difficult to understand what is meant by family in everyday life. The aim of the present study is to examine the differences in the perception of the family and the image of “a proper family” through drawings created by Palestinian-Arab women and men in Israel (n=106). This can be analyzed as a prism of discussion regarding how people identify what is expected of families. It also raises the question of “family boundaries” in contemporary Palestinian-Arab society in Israel and what is recognized as family relationships. The drawings’ analysis included a set of questions regarding both the content—the theme of the drawing, main situations, characters, and symbols—and the forms, composition, and colors used. Reading the drawings visually illuminated various perceptions of a family as expressed by the participants. This visual content analysis enhances sociological comprehension about the desirable family life in light of gender relationships, family size, and domestic everyday practices which negotiate the global and the local.

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Section: Home Sweet Homementioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the 'Proper Family' in Palestinian-Arab Society in Israel as Reflected in Family Members' Drawings

Meler

Marnin-Distelfeld

2023

J Ethn Cult Stud

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“…Individual identities are socially constructed. Narratives, particularly the "languages of the self", are the tools with which social actors make sense of their social reality (Gergen 1991: 5-6), and how they both shape their identities and are shaped by those very identities (Zerubavel 1997). Identities, or selves, are collaborative efforts that individuals craft for themselves in an interactive, dynamic and socially accomplished process (Brekhus 2020: 127;Gubrium and Holstein 2000:101;Fine 2012:167).…”

Section: Literature Review: Identity and Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anderson 1999, Goffman 2014, and how context is used in everyday life as a resource (Garfinkel 1967). Aspects of identity are contested and negotiated socially, including a person or group's role in society, who can and can't claim membership in certain identities, and in providing meaning related to identity (Biddle 1979;Gecas and Burke 1995;Zerubavel 1991, Zerubavel 1997. For example, descriptive work is needed to construct Alzheimer's Disease (Gubrium 1986), though the individuals who are assigned this diagnosis and the accompanying identity implications and their close relatives often resist this identity, at least for a time.…”

Section: Literature Review: Identity and Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This chapter explores the ways in which framing narratives are used in the social world of ISLs (Individualized Supported Living homes) and Group Homes to influence the behavior of others. Narratives, particularly the "languages of the self", are the tools with which social actors make sense of their social reality (Gergen 1991: 5-6), and how they both shape their identities and are shaped by those very identities (Zerubavel 1997).…”

Section: Chapter 3: Framing Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ways in which identity narratives are deployed can be either overt expressions of power relations or subtle attempts to exert control over another person through shifting how they view others, or even themselves. Narratives, particularly the "languages of the self", are the tools with which social actors make sense of their social reality (Gergen 1991:5-6), and how they both shape their identities and are shaped by those very identities (Zerubavel 1997). Narrative work is central to understanding how identities are constructed, negotiated, and challenged.…”

Section: Emphasis In Original)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Narrative power: social control in ISLs and group homes

Bledsoe¹

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Narrative power is used in residential settings providing care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a tool of social control. Framing narratives, stories and accounts influencing the accepted version of events, are used by clients, staff people, supervisors and professionals to influence and control the behavior of people in this social world. Identity narratives, stories and accounts influencing the accepted identity of different social actors, are also used to influence and control the behavior of people in these settings. Individualized Supported Living arrangements (ISLs) and group homes are settings where the social role of a client, a person with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving support in this setting, is a clearly marked social role with almost no ability to exert narrative power independently, making the framing narratives and identity narratives of other actors the dominant narratives in their lives. Staff people, supervisors, case managers, behavior analysts and other professionals in this social world are able to effectively use narratives as tools of social control over clients, staff and other social actors within this milieu. These decentralized settings typically have one to three clients living in homes and apartments in the community with direct care staff support to assist them with their individualized needs, including activities of daily living, medication administration, behavioral support and community integration. Staff people routinely work for extended periods of time with no effective supervision, setting up a significant power disparity between staff and clients. Framing narratives and identity narratives are routinely deployed by staff in these settings to control the behavior of clients. Attempts by others to use these same tactics to control the behavior of staff people and other non-clients in this social world are routinely met with alternative narratives, or counter-narratives, that blunt the effectiveness of these tactics. Clients were unable to effectively deploy counter-narratives, with the exception of making allegations of abuse or neglect against staff people or others. This tactic sometimes led to outside agencies conducting inquiries. Lengthy ethnographic interviews of eighteen people with insider experience in the social world of ISLs and Group Homes were conducted in an active interviewing style designed to elicit narratives detailing the ways in which power is used as a tool of social control. These narratives were transcribed and analyzed to assess how the respondents used narratives to depict the use of power in this social setting. This analysis produced a number of significant findings. The most significant behavioral changes reported by respondents occurred when the framing narrative or identity narrative was internalized, effectively making the person their own agent of social control. Respondents all depicted themselves in positive terms, while framing others in negative terms and were supportive of increased accountability for other social actors in this setting, but not for themselves. Client advocates are necessary for meaningful client choices to be implemented in this social world, due to the lack of client narrative power in these settings. Institutional methodologies of social control can and do occur in decentralized community placements, making oversight to prevent the abuse and neglect of vulnerable clients a critical need in these settings. The reluctance of caregivers and others to report abuse and neglect of clients, despite being mandatory reporters, appears to be due to fear of reprisals and lack of faith that reporting abuse and neglect will make a difference. Agencies providing ISL and Group Home services receive significantly different levels of oversight based on political and social connections, with large and well-connected agencies getting differential treatment not afforded to smaller agencies with less political pull.

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On Doing Concept‐Driven Sociology

Brekhus,

Sabetta

2024

Symbolic Interaction

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In this article, we elaborate on both bread‐and‐butter and epistemological features of concept‐driven sociology (CDS). First, we highlight the specific link between this framework and Zerubavel's approach by outlining how CDS is especially suited to deepen the understanding of unmarked dimensions and intersubjective phenomena, reflexively re‐employing the insights of cognitive sociology while crossing thematic (as well as disciplinary) boundaries. Then, we examine four theoretico‐methodological linchpins of CDS, with particular attention to their relationship with symbolic interactionism: the primacy of analytic novelty (and the tool‐like character of sensitizing concepts); the distinct modus operandi regarding the theory‐and‐research‐integration conundrum; the Simmelian legacy of prioritizing geometric and formal dimensions of social features; and the “etic” perspective in re‐constructing sociological problems. Thus, after discussing why CDS should not be judged as appealing only to qualitative scholars, we proceed to present the contributions to the special issue. We conclude this article by briefly stressing the open character of CDS—its essential call for new conceptually guided empirical research.

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Social Mindscapes: An Invitation to Cognitive Sociology

Cited by 138 publications

References 0 publications

Perceptions of the 'Proper Family' in Palestinian-Arab Society in Israel as Reflected in Family Members' Drawings

Perceptions of the 'Proper Family' in Palestinian-Arab Society in Israel as Reflected in Family Members' Drawings

Narrative power: social control in ISLs and group homes

On Doing Concept‐Driven Sociology

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