A Social Cognitive Conception of Social Structure

An adequate account of contemporary social structure must account for both the stabilities and the dynamics of social life. Because social structures are negotiated and redefined through individual action and interaction, models that facilitate connections between micro and macro levels of analysis are necessary in turn for a comprehensive account of social stability and change. Sociological social psychological theories such as social exchange and symbolic interaction address the interactive aspects of social behavior. The social cognition perspective, however, is uniquely qualified to address how social structure is represented, sustained, and transformed by the cognitive systems of human actors. Social cognitive conceptions of social structure are delineated through a selective discussion of social cognition and sociological models that implicate cognition. The relationships between cognition, agency, and structure are illustrated through analysis offour conceptual puzzles in order to reveal the analytic contribution of social cognition to understanding social structure. An adequate account of contemporary social structure must meet at least two criteria: 1) it must account not only for the stabilities of social life but also for the fluidities and the dynamics of its production, reproduction, and transformations; and 2) it must incorporate both the macro and the micro foundations of action. These agendas are related. Social structure constrains individuals through both preexisting institutions and the situated constraints imposed by other actors. Social structures also are continually negotiated and redefined through individual action and interaction. The individual and society are mutually constitutive. As Melucci (1989:46) argues, "society's capacity to