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Strong Interaction

This book brings the body and its passions back into a new theory of social interaction and social order. Building on innovative conceptions of order, change, and organization, Thomas Spence Smith dramatically expands the definition of human interactions that hold societies together. Here he examines the "strong interactions," such as love relationships, attachments, and addictive behaviors, that are inherently unstable—but are integral parts of any social order.

Blending physiology and psychology with historical examples of social change and a sophisticated new model of social systems, this book contributes to our understanding how societies are possible.

330 pages | 32 line drawings, 2 tables | 6 x 9 | © 1992

Sociology: Individual, State and Society, Theory and Sociology of Knowledge

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1: Generative Self
2: Strong Attachments
3: Dynamics of Strong Interaction
4: Complex Interaction Systems and Dissipative Structures
5: Love and Its Disintegration
6: Power and Charisma: The Release of the Romantic Impulse
7: Markets and Hierarchies: Social Structure and Strong Interaction Systems
8: Nonequilibrium Functionalism
Notes
References
Index

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