Note on Ward's "Pure Sociology." III

Questions concerning the essential nature of altruism, the existence of an altruistic personality, and the genetic, biosocial, and social psychological bases of altruistic behavior have dominated theory and research on the topic. The current paper reconceptualizes financial altruism sociologically as a form of unilateral resource exchanges, or welfare. The alternative definition employs Donald Black's (1979, 2000) analytic approach to describe and explain the behavior of welfare with its location and direction in social space. The paper offers several propositions that purport to explain variations in welfare by drawing upon cross-cultural research. In general, welfare flows in the direction of those who are less integrated and who have lower social status. In addition, welfare varies directly with intimacy, conventionality, and respectability. Finally, welfare varies inversely with relational distance, cultural distance, and group size. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of strengths and limitations of the general propositions advanced.

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The Sociological Usages of “Pure Sociology”: The Perpetual Quest to Establish Disciplinary Boundaries in the Pursuit of Academic Legitimacy

The American Sociologist ◽

10.1007/s12108-015-9300-y ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 (2-3) ◽

pp. 319-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joseph H. Michalski

Keyword(s):

Disciplinary Boundaries ◽

Pure Sociology

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Victim Injury and Social Distance: A National Test of a General Principle of Conflict

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.vv-d-15-00023 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 726-750 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Callie Marie Rennison ◽

Scott Jacques ◽

Andrea Allen

Keyword(s):

Social Distance ◽

General Principle ◽

Additional Research ◽

National Crime Victimization Survey ◽

Crime Victimization ◽

Victimization Survey ◽

Pure Sociology ◽

Violent Offenses ◽

National Test

Our inquiry focuses on why some violent offenses but not others result in injury to the victim. Building on existing theory nested in the paradigm of pure sociology, we propose and test a general principle of conflict: Victim injury varies directly with social distance. This principle predicts that offenders are more likely to harm victims with whom they are less well acquainted and less similar culturally. We test three hypotheses derived from this principle with data from the National Crime Victimization Survey and find little support for the theory. Rather, findings suggest exactly the opposite of that predicted: As social distance between offender and victim increases, the odds of victim injury decreases. Recommendations of additional research are made.

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Pure Sociology. A Treatise on the Origin and Spontaneous Development of Society.

Political Science Quarterly ◽

10.2307/2140290 ◽

1904 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 318

Author(s):

Albion W. Small ◽

Lester F. Ward

Keyword(s):

Pure Sociology

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An Integrated Theory of Lethal Punishment: Social Geometry, Status Relationships, and the Dehumanization Process

Comparative Sociology ◽

10.1163/15691330-12341423 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 248-283

Author(s):

Joseph H. Michalski

Keyword(s):

Social Control ◽

The Other ◽

Degradation Processes ◽

Integrated Theory ◽

Social Polarization ◽

The Status ◽

Pure Sociology ◽

Group Relationships

Punishment exists universally as a form of social control, spanning a continuum from the physically inconsequential to lethality. What explains observable variations in punishment, or lethal punishment as a form of social control? This paper builds upon Black’s pure sociology framework and Milner’s theory of status relations to argue that lethal punishment occurs mainly under conditions of marginalization, disruptions of the previous social geometries, and social polarization that characterize interpersonal encounters or inter-group relationships. These conditions facilitate the status degradation processes that lead to the dehumanization of the “other.” By the same token, such conditions do not often prevail in familial settings and hence lethal punishments are far less common than the lethality associated with other forms of moralistic violence and state-sanctioned punishments.

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