Principles of Theoretical Analysis
Abstract
This paper considers the goals and methods of theoretical sociology. The chief goal of theoretical work is a theory in two parts-postulates and predictions-the key challenge being to minimize the number of postulates and maximize the number and variety of predictions. The paper discusses the distinctive character of the sentences in each part of the theory and, in light of that bipartite structure, the two main activities of theoretical analysis: (i) speculative thinking, whereby the theorist identifies the starting ideas for the postulates; and (ii) formal reasoning, whereby the theorist constructs the postulates and derives predictions from them. To illustrate the features of a theory and the tasks of theoretical analysis, the paper briefly sketches the theory of the distributive-justice force.
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There are few factual accounts of the development of theories themselves.
“Despite different streams of writing about theory development in the social sciences – for example, writing around the construction of grounded theory [21,22,51-54], and about the development of formal sociological theory [23,54,55] – we actually have few factual accounts of the development of theories themselves.”
From Development of a theory of implementation and integration: Normalization Process Theory (2009) · cites this paper as [55]
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Development of a theory of implementation and integration: Normalization Process Theory
May, C. R., Mair, F., Finch, T., MacFarlane, A., Dowrick, C., Treweek, S., Rapley, T., Ballini, L., Ong, B. N., Rogers, A., et al. (2009) · Implementation Science · doi:10.1186/1748-5908-4-29 · Cited by 1,409 · see citing works
“Despite different streams of writing about theory development in the social sciences – for example, writing around the construction of grounded theory [21,22,51-54], and about the development of formal sociological theory [23,54,55] – we actually have few factual accounts of the development of theories themselves.”
Revisiting general theory in historical sociology
Mahoney, J. (2004) · Social Forces · doi:10.1353/sof.2005.0018 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Mechanisms, Bayesianism, and process tracing
Mahoney, J. (2016) · New Political Economy · doi:10.1080/13563467.2016.1201803 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
- Authors
- Jasso, G.
- Corresponding author
- Jasso, Guillermina
- ORCID
- Jasso, Guillermina
- Venue
- Sociological Theory
- Publisher
- JSTOR
- Published
- 1988
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1
- ISSN
- 0735-2751 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2314348310
- Cited by
- 106
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 14.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Sociological Theory (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Critical Realism in Sociology
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy and History of Science
- Keywords
- theoretical sociology, axioms, prediction, speculative thought, formal reasoning, theory development, distributive justice
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