Structures of Social Life: The Four Elementary Forms of Human Relations: Communal Sharing, Authority Ranking, Equality Matching, Market Pricing

Fiske, Alan Page

ISBN 10: 0029103452 / ISBN 13: 9780029103456

Published by The Free Press, 1991,, 1991

About this Item

1st edition, hardback, large 8vo, xii,480pp, clean and tight, no inscriptions, Very Good / Very Good dustwrapper. ISBN: 0029103452.

Seller Inventory # 468933

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Structures of Social Life: The Four Elementary Forms of Human Relations: Communal Sharing, Authority Ranking, Equality Matching, Market Pricing
• Publisher: The Free Press, 1991,
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0029103452
• ISBN 13: 9780029103456
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • economics

About this title

Synopsis

Alan Page Fiske shares insight on the basic models of social relations in this “important book that will be of value to all psychologists with an interest in organization, culture, economic behavior, and decision making” (Richard E. Nisbett, University of Michigan).

Structures of Social Life examines the relational models of social relationships, including how they are implicit in earlier social theories, how they have emerged into diverse domains of social action and though, and how they produce diverse and complex social forms.

Aiming to create conversations and debate about social relationships and the models that structure them, Alan Page Fiske provides insight on the four elementary forms of human relations.

Reviews

The West African Moose people of Burkina Faso communally share scarce resources like food, water and land. These villagers "take what they need and contribute what they have"; Moose males sometimes share wives too through "transfers." In general, Moose equality and kindness predominate over competitiveness, reports University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Fiske. His point is that the selfish individualism we in the West prize would be considered bizarre or even perverse by the Moose and many other cultures. A sweeping, provocative intellectual adventure despite its leaden, textbookish prose, this tome holds that there are just four basic modes of social interaction: communal sharing (e.g., Quaker meetings, family togetherness); authority ranking; the reciprocal give-and-take of equality matching; and the cost/benefit calculus of market pricing. Fiske draws unfashionable conclusions: people are fundamentally sociable and often will prefer sharing to self-interest; duty and desire are not inherently opposed--in fact, they tend to coincide.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.