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Cited by 1,017Social Capital and NetworksContemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeCritical Realism in Sociology

Beyond rational choice: The social dynamics of how people seek help

Pescosolido, Bernice A.·1992·American Journal of Sociology
DOI 10.1086/229863
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Abstract

A classic problem common to sociology and other social sciences revolves around how people make decisions. Some recent approaches start with and revise an individually focused, rational action framework. While this orientation to building transdisciplinary, multilevel models provides many insights, it fails to capture essential features of social life. The social organization strategy (SOS) framework presented in this article offers a complementary approach to social action in general and decision making in particular. This orientation, a network and event-centered counterpart to rational choice, rests on fundamental principles that distinguish the discipline of sociology: social interaction is the basis of social life, and social networks provide the mechanism (interaction) through which individuals learn about, come to understand, and attempt to handle difficulties. This approach shifts the from individual "choice" to socially constructed patterns of decisions, including consultation with others. Utilization research in medical sociology serves as a case for reviewing theoretical approaches to decision making and provides the background necessary to a theoretical exposition of the SOS approach using data from the National Survey of Access to Medical Care (1975-76.) The results support the utility of pursuing the SOS framework.

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Crossref · 10.1086/229863

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61 of 61 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • It is essential to consider the roles of social structure and culture in social interaction as a core feature of theories of suicide.

    “These studies illustrate how essential it is to consider the roles of social structure and culture in social interaction, as a core feature of theories of suicide; to not do so contradicts basic contributions to contemporary population health research (Pescosolido, 1992; Hall and Lamont, 2009).”

    From The Social Roots of Suicide: Theorizing How the External Social World Matters to Suicide and Suicide Prevention (2021) · cites this paper as Pescosolido, 1992

  • Reluctance of many at-risk people, especially men, to avail themselves of treatment due to stigma and social norms is a major problem in suicide prevention.

    “Major problems in suicide prevention are the paucity of specialized mental health services and the reluctance of many at-risk people, especially men, to avail themselves of treatment due to stigma [91] and social norms [92].”

    From A systematic review of social factors and suicidal behavior in older adulthood (2012) · cites this paper as [92]

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Authors
Pescosolido, B. A.
Affiliations
Indiana University Bloomington (US)
Corresponding author
Pescosolido, Bernice A.
ORCID
Pescosolido, Bernice A.
Venue
American Journal of Sociology
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Published
1992-01
Volume
97
Issue
4
Pages
1096-1138
ISSN
  • 0002-9602 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-5390
DOI
10.1086/229863
OpenAlex
W1981069243
Cited by
1,017
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 50 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 70 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 77 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 47
FWCI
16.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
American Journal of Sociology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Capital and Networks
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Critical Realism in Sociology
Keywords
decision-making, rational choice critique, social networks, social interaction, help-seeking, consultation, medical sociology, health care access

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