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Theorizing in sociology: postpositivist typology of J. Berger, M. Zelditch Jr. and D. Wagner

stmm. 2023 (2): 116-142

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2023.02.116

Full text: http://stmm.in.ua/archive/ukr/2023-2/8.pdf

VOLODYMYR REZNIK, Doctor of Sciences in Sociology, Head of the Department of History and Theory of Sociology, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021)

volodymyr.reznik@gmail.com

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9955-0034

The article presents an explication of the post-positivist typology of theoretical activity in sociology. J. Berger, M. Zelditch and D. Wagner argued for this typology in a set of their publications. They distinguished such types: unit theories of social phenomena, theoretical / orienting strategies, working substantive / methodological strategies for theories construction, theoretical research programs, empirical models. The functions of each of these types were determined within the framework of the theoretical research program.

Orienting strategies are broad fundamental directives that provide value-ideological assumptions for the justification of working research strategies. Working strategies define what the core ideas of the research program should be, what questions should be raised by researchers and how they should be investigated within the program framework. In particular, substantive working strategies specify how social phenomena should be defined and conceptualized, what theoretical problems should be solved, and what conceptual tools should be used in doing so. Methodological working strategies specify how unit theories should be developed and what methodological tools should be used to test them. Unit theories are the form in which generated conceptual solutions to researched questions are constituted. Empirical models specify various cases of the studied social phenomena, identify methods of observation and procedures for measuring their manifestations. Within a scientific research program, different types of theorizing interact and complement each other. The growth of sociological knowledge is considered a consequence of this interaction and mutual complementation. As a result, Berger, Zelditch and Wagner significantly expanded the meaning of the concept of a scientific research program in the theoretical context of sociological science. The post-positivist typology of sociological theorizing has become a conceptual tool for empirically identifying trends and patterns of theoretical growth in sociology.

Keywords: postpositivism, scientific paradigm, theory, metatheory, theoretical strategy, research program, empirical researсh

References

  1. Berger, J. (1974). Expectation States Theory: A Theoretical Research Program. In: J. Berger, Th.L. Conner, M.H. Fisek (Eds.), Expectation States Theory: A Theoretical Research Program, (pp. 3-22). Cambridge, MA: Winthrop.

  2. Berger, J., Wagner, D.G., Zelditch, M., Jr. (1992). A Working Strategy for Constructing Theories: State Organizing Processes. In: G. Ritzer (Ed.), Metatheorizing, (pp. 107-123). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

  3. Berger, J., Willer, D., Zelditch, M. (2005). Theory Programs and Theoretical Problems. Sociological Theory, 23(2), 127-155. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0735-2751.2005.00247.x

  4. Cole, S. (2001). Why Sociology Doesn't Make Progress Like the Natural Sciences. In: S. Cole (Ed.), What's Wrong with Sociology? (pp. 37-60). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.

  5. Jasso, G. (2001). Formal theory. In: I.H. Turner (Ed.), Handbook of Sociological Theory (pp. 37-68). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-36274-6_3

  6. Kuhn, T.S. (2001). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. [Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Port-Royal.

  7. Maines, D.R., Molseed, M.J. (1986). Obsessive Discoverer's Complex and the «Discovery» of Growth in Sociological Theory. American Journal of Sociology, 92(1), 158-164. https://doi.org/10.1086/228466

  8. Pylypenko, V. (2019). Types and directions of sociological metatheorizing. [In Ukrainian]. In: V. Reznik (Ed.), Sociological Metatheorizing: History and Present Day (pp. 21-31). Kyiv: Institute of Sociology, NAS of Ukraine.

  9. Reznik, V. (2021). Analysis of research programs: a sociological perspective. [InUkrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 4, 104-128. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2021.04.104. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2021.04.104

  10. Reznik, V. (2022). Ideas of postpositivism in sociology: the reception by J. Berger, M. Zelditch Jr. and D.G. Wagner. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 3, 161-185. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.03.161. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.03.161

  11. Seidman, S. (1986). Is There Theoretical Growth in Sociology? Comment on Wagner and Berger. American Journal of Sociology, 92(1), 164-168. https://doi.org/10.1086/228467

  12. Szmatka, J., Mazur, J. (1996). Orienting Strategies, Working Strategies and Theoretical Research Programs in Social Exchange Theory. Polish Sociological Review, 115, 265-288.

  13. Vorona, V. (2022). Sociology as a scientific discipline: the post-positivist conception of J. Alexander and P. Kolomi. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 4, 7-29. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.04.007. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.04.007

  14. Wagner, D.G. (2007). The Limits of Theoretical Integration. Social Justice Research, 20(3), 270-287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-007-0045-9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-007-0045-9

  15. Wagner, D.G. (2009). Theoretical Research Programs. In: G.Ritzer (Ed.), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (pp. 4984-4987). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

  16. Wagner, D.G., Berger, J. (1985). Do Sociological Theories Grow? American Journal of Sociology, 90(4), 697-728. https://doi.org/10.1086/228142 https://doi.org/10.1086/228142

  17. Wagner, D.G., Berger, J. (1986). Programs, Theory, and Metatheory. American Journal of Sociology, 92(1), 168-182. https://doi.org/10.1086/228468

  18. Zelditch, M., Jr. (1979). Do Multiple Strategies Converge? Society, 16(5), 25-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02697730

  19. Zelditch, M., Jr. (1991). Levels of Specificity within Theoretical Strategies. Sociological Perspectives, 34(3), 303-312. https://doi.org/10.2307/1389513

  20. Zelditch, M., Jr. (1992). Problems and Progress in Sociological Theory. Sociological Perspectives, 35(3), 415-431. https://doi.org/10.2307/1389327

Received 29.03.2023

Theorizing in sociology: postpositivist typology of J. Berger, M. Zelditch Jr. and D. Wagner

stmm. 2023 (2): 116-142

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2023.02.116

Full text: http://stmm.in.ua/archive/ukr/2023-2/8.pdf

VOLODYMYR REZNIK, Doctor of Sciences in Sociology, Head of the Department of History and Theory of Sociology, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021)

volodymyr.reznik@gmail.com

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9955-0034

The article presents an explication of the post-positivist typology of theoretical activity in sociology. J. Berger, M. Zelditch and D. Wagner argued for this typology in a set of their publications. They distinguished such types: unit theories of social phenomena, theoretical / orienting strategies, working substantive / methodological strategies for theories construction, theoretical research programs, empirical models. The functions of each of these types were determined within the framework of the theoretical research program.

Orienting strategies are broad fundamental directives that provide value-ideological assumptions for the justification of working research strategies. Working strategies define what the core ideas of the research program should be, what questions should be raised by researchers and how they should be investigated within the program framework. In particular, substantive working strategies specify how social phenomena should be defined and conceptualized, what theoretical problems should be solved, and what conceptual tools should be used in doing so. Methodological working strategies specify how unit theories should be developed and what methodological tools should be used to test them. Unit theories are the form in which generated conceptual solutions to researched questions are constituted. Empirical models specify various cases of the studied social phenomena, identify methods of observation and procedures for measuring their manifestations. Within a scientific research program, different types of theorizing interact and complement each other. The growth of sociological knowledge is considered a consequence of this interaction and mutual complementation. As a result, Berger, Zelditch and Wagner significantly expanded the meaning of the concept of a scientific research program in the theoretical context of sociological science. The post-positivist typology of sociological theorizing has become a conceptual tool for empirically identifying trends and patterns of theoretical growth in sociology.

Keywords: postpositivism, scientific paradigm, theory, metatheory, theoretical strategy, research program, empirical researсh

References

  1. Berger, J. (1974). Expectation States Theory: A Theoretical Research Program. In: J. Berger, Th.L. Conner, M.H. Fisek (Eds.), Expectation States Theory: A Theoretical Research Program, (pp. 3-22). Cambridge, MA: Winthrop.

  2. Berger, J., Wagner, D.G., Zelditch, M., Jr. (1992). A Working Strategy for Constructing Theories: State Organizing Processes. In: G. Ritzer (Ed.), Metatheorizing, (pp. 107-123). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

  3. Berger, J., Willer, D., Zelditch, M. (2005). Theory Programs and Theoretical Problems. Sociological Theory, 23(2), 127-155. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0735-2751.2005.00247.x

  4. Cole, S. (2001). Why Sociology Doesn't Make Progress Like the Natural Sciences. In: S. Cole (Ed.), What's Wrong with Sociology? (pp. 37-60). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.

  5. Jasso, G. (2001). Formal theory. In: I.H. Turner (Ed.), Handbook of Sociological Theory (pp. 37-68). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-36274-6_3

  6. Kuhn, T.S. (2001). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. [Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Port-Royal.

  7. Maines, D.R., Molseed, M.J. (1986). Obsessive Discoverer's Complex and the «Discovery» of Growth in Sociological Theory. American Journal of Sociology, 92(1), 158-164. https://doi.org/10.1086/228466

  8. Pylypenko, V. (2019). Types and directions of sociological metatheorizing. [In Ukrainian]. In: V. Reznik (Ed.), Sociological Metatheorizing: History and Present Day (pp. 21-31). Kyiv: Institute of Sociology, NAS of Ukraine.

  9. Reznik, V. (2021). Analysis of research programs: a sociological perspective. [InUkrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 4, 104-128. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2021.04.104. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2021.04.104

  10. Reznik, V. (2022). Ideas of postpositivism in sociology: the reception by J. Berger, M. Zelditch Jr. and D.G. Wagner. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 3, 161-185. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.03.161. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.03.161

  11. Seidman, S. (1986). Is There Theoretical Growth in Sociology? Comment on Wagner and Berger. American Journal of Sociology, 92(1), 164-168. https://doi.org/10.1086/228467

  12. Szmatka, J., Mazur, J. (1996). Orienting Strategies, Working Strategies and Theoretical Research Programs in Social Exchange Theory. Polish Sociological Review, 115, 265-288.

  13. Vorona, V. (2022). Sociology as a scientific discipline: the post-positivist conception of J. Alexander and P. Kolomi. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 4, 7-29. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.04.007. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.04.007

  14. Wagner, D.G. (2007). The Limits of Theoretical Integration. Social Justice Research, 20(3), 270-287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-007-0045-9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-007-0045-9

  15. Wagner, D.G. (2009). Theoretical Research Programs. In: G.Ritzer (Ed.), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (pp. 4984-4987). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

  16. Wagner, D.G., Berger, J. (1985). Do Sociological Theories Grow? American Journal of Sociology, 90(4), 697-728. https://doi.org/10.1086/228142 https://doi.org/10.1086/228142

  17. Wagner, D.G., Berger, J. (1986). Programs, Theory, and Metatheory. American Journal of Sociology, 92(1), 168-182. https://doi.org/10.1086/228468

  18. Zelditch, M., Jr. (1979). Do Multiple Strategies Converge? Society, 16(5), 25-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02697730

  19. Zelditch, M., Jr. (1991). Levels of Specificity within Theoretical Strategies. Sociological Perspectives, 34(3), 303-312. https://doi.org/10.2307/1389513

  20. Zelditch, M., Jr. (1992). Problems and Progress in Sociological Theory. Sociological Perspectives, 35(3), 415-431. https://doi.org/10.2307/1389327

Received 29.03.2023

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