Interactionist theory and disciplinary interactions

psychology, sociology and social psychology in France

Ian Lubek

pp. 347-358

in: Michael E. Hyland, William J. Baker, René van Hezewijk, Terwee (eds), Recent trends in theoretical psychology, Berlin, Springer, 1990

Abstract

After a discussion of certain current difficulties in describing an interactionist social psychological perspective, we examine turn-of-the-century French social science. Gabriel Tarde had created several social psychological theoretical formulations, with his last being an interactive "inter-psychology" which dealt with a range of analyses of interpersonal influence processes, public opinion, communication, economic exchanges, and so forth. In examining why this theory never had widespread acceptance in France, a multilevel analysis is suggested: logic of science for conceptual or theoretical evolution; social psychology of science for the social processes among idea submitters and idea accepters; and sociology of science for community-wide, institutional support and long-term promulgation of the ideas. The conceptual difficulties faced by social psychological theories, in general, and by interactionist theories, in particular, are discussed in relation to psychological and sociological formulations. An analysis is made of the lack of institutional support and the reactions of the evolving disciplines of sociology and psychology towards this interactionist social psychological theory.

Cited authors

Tarde Gabriel