Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World

Winner of the 2010 Best Book Award from the Rationality and Society Section of the American Sociological Association

"Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World does not simply restate earlier findings but proposes a highly significant theory based on much prior research by its authors which both adds to sociological competencies and provides direction for institutional design .... The theory of social commitments outlined by Lawler, Thye, and Yoon, like all fundamental notions, is obvious once it is stated but the provision of the statement in the first place requires much effort, insight, and ingenuity."
-SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW

"Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World is one of the most important books ever< written in sociology and, indeed, the social sciences in general .... What makes this work special is that it is not yet another speculative treatise, but a very careful, micro-based analysis. At a more theoretical level, this is one of the very few works in the last half century that has addressed the issue of micro-macro linkages with a theory capable of bridging these two realms of the social universe. This is one of the most important theory books written in sociology in my forty-five years as a sociologist."
-JONATHAN TURNER, University of California, Riverside

"This important book provides a general theory of how social solidarity is created in a world of individualized and marketized transactions. The authors show how the Hobbesian problem of order is solved by emotions that tie individual to individual. Even more important for upholding larger social structure are emotional ties from individual to group that charge up meaningful categories of social identity. This kind of solidarity does not happen automatically but only in certain kinds of group structures, especially those generating contagious emotions through shared responsibility for organizational tasks. The authors provide the micro-mechanisms, which solve macro problems, thereby giving key practical advice for organizations in business and nonprofit sector alike, for social movements and even for government."
-RANDALL COLLINS, University of Pennsylvania

"Edward Lawler, Shane Thye, and Jeongkoo Yoon are to be congratulated for an original and ingenious solution to the enduring problem of cohesion in fragmented world. Their thesis is that personal interaction and the dynamics of affect are the pervasive engines in the complex journey from micro- to macro-integration. Their story is thorough, scientifically based, and compelling. I predict that the sheer power of this story will guarantee its continuing influence in the coming decades."
-NEIL J. SMELSER, University of California, Berkeley

As individuals’ ties to community organizations and the companies they work for weaken, many analysts worry that the fabric of our society is deteriorating. But others counter that new social networks, especially those forming online, create important and possibly even stronger social bonds than those of the past. In Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World, Edward Lawler, Shane Thye, and Jeongkoo Yoon examine interpersonal and group ties and propose a new theory of social commitments, showing that multiple interactions, group activities and, particularly, emotional attachment, are essential for creating and sustaining alignments between individuals and groups.

Lawler, Thye, and Yoon acknowledge that long-term social attachments have proven fragile in a volatile economy where people increasingly form transactional associations—based not on collective interest but on what will yield the most personal advantage in a society shaped by market logic. Although person-to-group bonds may have become harder to sustain, they continue to play a vital role in maintaining healthy interactions in larger social groups from companies to communities. Drawing on classical and contemporary sociology, organizational psychology, and behavioral economics, Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World shows how affiliations—particularly those that involve a profound emotional component—can transcend merely instrumental or transactional ties and can even transform these impersonal bonds into deeply personal ones.

The authors study the structures of small groups, corporations, economic transactions, and modern nation-states to determine how hierarchies, task allocation, and social identities help or hinder a group’s vitality. They find that such conditions as equal status, interdependence, and overlapping affiliations figure significantly in creating and sustaining strong person-to-group bonds. Recurring collaboration with others to achieve common goals—along with shared responsibilities and equally valued importance within an organization—promote positive and enduring feelings that enlarge a person’s experience of a group and the significance of their place within it. Employees in organizations with strong person-to-group ties experience a more unified, collective identity. They tend to work more cost effectively, meet company expectations, and better regulate their own productivity and behavior.

The authors make clear that the principles of their theory have implications beyond business. With cultures pulling apart and crashing together like tectonic plates, much depends on our ability to work collectively across racial, cultural, and political divides. The new theory in Social Commitments in a Depersonalized World provides a way of thinking about how groups form and what it takes to sustain them in the modern world.

EDWARD J. LAWLER is Martin P. Catherwood Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and professor of sociology at Cornell Univeristy.

SHANE R. THYE is professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina.

JEONGKOO YOON is professor of business administration at the Ewha University, South Korea.