Durkheim and the New Sociology of Morality

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Lukes
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Current Work ◽  
Sociology Of Morality ◽  
New Ideas

Durkheim’s writings on morality are examined, distinguishing his earlier, more familiar account from later developments that advance new ideas relevant to present-day debates. The question is raised of the extent to which familiar criticisms of Durkheim’s sociology of morality are justified and ways are suggested in which sociologists and anthropologists can gain from reconsidering Durkheim on morality. His attempts to demarcate the scope of the sociology of morals against the claims of the philosophers and psychologists of his time are, it is argued, relevant to how sociologists of morality should view today’s philosophers and psychologists. Durkheim’s influence on current work by sociologists of morality is considered: positive influence, whether acknowledged or not, and negative, in response to what are seen as inadequacies of Durkheim’s approach. It is suggested that apparently non-Durkheimian studies of trust, collective action, and the evolution of social norms are nonetheless Durkheimian in their object of inquiry.

I Eat, Therefore I Am

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Kelly ◽  
Nicolae Morar
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Moral Psychology ◽  
Social Roles ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Current Work ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Run Up

This chapter examines the set of relations that hold between food and cuisine, eating and dining, and norms, social roles, and identities, in a way that continues to be informed by current work in empirical moral psychology. It unpacks the notion of a social role in terms of social norms, the often unwritten rules that regulate behavior and social interactions, and describes recent empirical work that illuminates the power and psychological underpinning of norm-based cognition, with an emphasis on how disgust animates many food norms. Finally, it discusses the ethical implications of this perspective for assessing food norms and considers how attempts to alter a person’s eating habits can run up against deep and distinctive forms of psychological resistance when they are also attempts to change who she is.

scholarly journals Social norms of corruption in the field: social nudges on posters can help to reduce bribery

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
NILS C. KÖBIS ◽  
MARLEEN TROOST ◽  
CYRIL O. BRANDT ◽  
IVAN SORAPERRA
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Field Study ◽  
South African ◽  
Descriptive Norms ◽  
The World ◽  
Societal Challenge

Abstract Corruption in the form of bribery continues to be a major societal challenge around the world. The current lab-in-the-field study tested whether dynamic descriptive norms messages on posters can help to reduce bribery. Before, during and after placing posters throughout a medium-sized South African town, incentivized measures of social norms and bribery were assessed in a mobile lab. A total of 311 participants stemming from the general population took part. In line with the pre-registered predictions, the results reveal that people: (1) perceive bribery to be less common; and (b) engage in bribery in a corruption game less frequently when the posters were displayed. The discussion outlines how social norms nudging campaigns can be leveraged to spur collective action against corruption.

scholarly journals To Follow or Not to Follow: Social Norms and Civic Duty during a Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-278
Author(s):  
Laura French Bourgeois ◽  
Allison Harell ◽  
Laura B. Stephenson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
Elected Officials ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Civic Duty ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Physical Isolation

The outbreak of COVID-19 has put substantial pressure on individuals to adapt and change their behaviours. As the hope of a vaccine remains at least a year away, everyone is urged to take action to slow the spread of the virus. Thus, “flattening the curve” has become vital in preventing medical systems from being overrun, and it relies on massive collective action by citizens to follow specific public health measures such as physical distancing, hand washing, and physical isolation for vulnerable individuals. Despite the recommendations, the public has often been confronted with the reality that some individuals are not respecting them, including elected officials (Aguilar, 2020).

scholarly journals Identity and reputation in organizational collectives

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Peter William Hofherr
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
The Social ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Identity Based

This research explores the attributes of the identity-based mechanisms of group collective action. Recognizing that wine trails are organizational collectives that market themselves and the region in which they reside, the research tests for the presence of identity-based attributes that reflect the social, institutional, cultural and physical aspects of the region. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, this research finds that the content of both external and internal stakeholders’ expectations and perceptions used in the reputational comparative process includes attributes of institutional, place-based, cultural, and social norms. This confirms that the specific content of stakeholders’ expectations and perceptions are developed in part from institutional norms, social categories, and structural roles associated with the wine trail organization and the geographic region in which they reside.

ANALISIS PENGARUH PERCEIVED RISK, SOCIAL NORMS, USEFULNESS, DAN TRUST TERHADAP ADOPSI MOBILE BANKING DAN INTERNET BANKING

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Irni Audini ◽  
Idrianita Anis
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Control Variables ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Education Profession

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of perceived risk, social norms, usefulness and trust towards the adoption of mobile banking and internet banking in Indonesia. Independent variables in this study were perceived risk, social norms, usefulness and trust. Dependent variables used were the adoption of mobile banking and internet banking. The control variables of this study were gender, age, education, profession and understanding of technology.The research used questionnaire for data collection. The respondents were active users of mobile banking services banking and internet banking. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling. This study uses regression analysis. The analytical tool used to test the hypothesis is SPSS 20.These results indicate that not all independent variables showed significant effects on the dependent variable. Perceived risk has a negative influence on the adoption of mobile banking and internet banking. Social norms and trust have a positive influence on the adoption of mobile banking and internet banking. Usefulness has no influence on the adoption of mobile banking and internet banking. The control variables of age proved to be a positive influence on the adoption of mobile banking and internet banking. However, other variables, namely gender, education, profession and understanding of the technology do not affect the adoption of mobile banking and internet banking.

Corruption, Reform and the Euro

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-437
Author(s):  
Paul Caruana-Galizia
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Monetary Union ◽  
European Monetary Union ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Institutional Quality ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
European Monetary ◽  
Collective Action Problem

Most policymakers and academics predicted that the European monetary union would lead to economic and institutional modernizaon in its least productive members – Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In fact, apart from Ireland, these countries became even more corrupt and their governments even less effective. This paper suggests an explanation that links the reluctance of peripheral countries to reform with the increase in their corruption levels. It also argues that their societies were stuck in a collective action problem: individuals have understood that corruption is antithetical to institutional quality and reform, but, as they cannot trust each other to refrain from corrupt practices, they stand to lose individually from not being corrupt themselves. Monetary union was seen as an external authority that would resolve this problem. Yet weak EU and eurozone monitoring and sanctioning discouraged the formation of social norms while making it attractive for formerly non-corrupt actors to engage in corruption, given the low risk of being caught. Survey evidence supports growth in perceptions of corruption and bribery, along with the weakening of social trust, trust in the police and in politicians across the periphery after the euro’s introduction.

What's Wrong with Social Norms? An Alternative to Elster's Theory

1997 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-360
Author(s):  
Frans van Zetten
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Wage Bargaining ◽  
The Self ◽  
Equal Pay ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Collective Wage Bargaining ◽  
Equal Work

Is guidance by social norms compatible with rationality? Jon Elster has argued inThe Cement of Societythat there is a fundamental contrast between rationality and conformity to social norms. The context of study is the problem of collective action, with special emphasis on collective wage bargaining. In such negotiations, the appeal to social norms rather than to self-interest can block agreement. Suppose one union is committed to the norm of equal pay for equal work; another one appeals to the norm of equal pay for everybody, regardless of the type of work. ‘In the presence of competing norms that favor different groups, the self-righteousness conferred by belief in a norm can lead to a bargaining impasse.'In confrontations between individuals, codes of honor can produce similar problems. It is in no one's interest to face a colleague over the barrel of a gun because one has made a nasty remark about his latest book, but if the code demands that one fight it out, the challenge must be accepted.

scholarly journals Applying a Comprehensive Action Determination Model to Examine the Recycling Behavior of Taipei City Residents

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 490
Author(s):  
Wei-Ta Fang ◽  
Mei-Hsuan Huang ◽  
Bai-You Cheng ◽  
Rong-Jeo Chiu ◽  
Yi-Te Chiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Perceived Behavioral Control ◽  
Personal Norms ◽  
Taipei City ◽  
Recycling Behavior

With the occurrence of rapid global economic growth concerns about waste and its related effects on the environment are on the rise. There has been an increasing focus towards sustainable development and waste recycling as part of environmental sustainability strategies, and the encouraging of recycling behavior has received considerable attention from various environmental stakeholders. While numerous studies have used grounded theories such as the theory of planned behaviors and the norm activation model to examine environmental behaviors, a lack of consideration of other important variables in these studies has been revealed. This study aimed to address this gap by adopting the comprehensive action determination model, which comprises a wider group of influencing variables related to norms, intentions, situations, and habits. This model was tested using structural equation modelling with a sample of 386 valid questionnaires collected from Taipei City residents in the domain of recycling behaviors. Results indicated that awareness had a positive influence on personal norms towards recycling behaviors; social norms had a positive influence on personal norms towards recycling behaviors; attitudes had a positive influence on recycling intentions; social norms had a positive influence on recycling intentions; personal norms had a positive influence on recycling intentions; perceived behavior control had a positive influence on recycling intentions; recycling intentions had a positive influence on recycling behavior; and recycling habits had a positive influence on recycling behavior. However, findings did not support the positive impact of perceived behavioral control on recycling behavior.

scholarly journals ‘Committed, motivated and joyful?’ Job satisfaction and organisational commitment of managers at a South African public utility

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude-Hélène Mayer ◽  
Lynette Louw ◽  
Jeremy Baxter
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
South African ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Public Utility ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Organisational Commitment ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Organisational Behaviour ◽  
Positive Organisational Behaviour

Objective: This study focuses on an assessment of managerial job satisfaction and commitment in the context of a vibrant and rapidly changing public utility from a positive organisational behaviour (POB) perspective. It aims at contributing towards an in-depth understanding of positive micro-organisational behaviour.Problem investigated: The aim of this study was to gain deeper insights into the relationship between job satisfaction (JS) and organisational commitment (OC) in terms of the ‘how and why’ at a selected public utility in the Eastern Cape Province.Design: This single case study uses a mixed-method approach within the pragmatism research paradigm.Findings: Findings show that managers across cultures share a positive organisational psychology approach on JS and OC. The JS of managers is mainly influenced by their satisfaction with working with colleagues and supervisors, and with strategies of motivation, as well as their dissatisfaction with the use of power, pay and promotion. OC was mainly influenced by positive collegial relationships, the organisation’s positive influence on the environment and on others, the enabling work environment and the location of the organisation.Originality/value: The article introduces new ideas in positive organisational behaviour research and reconstructs the image of South African organisational behaviour based on qualitative and quantitative data.Conclusion: This article shows that post-modern African organisations are opening new frontiers to building positive-oriented organisational cultures whilst creating constructive and future-orientated mindsets, which may spill over into society.

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