Sociological theories can be viewed as models of (sub)-populations. In this paper we explore the possibility of representing social theories as attitudinal types rather than as descriptions of society at large. To test this idea we investigate the relevance of four different theories of couple relationships to the attitudes of 18 to 30 year olds. Rather than testing these theories via aggregate social trends, we investigate the plausibility of treating the four social theories as attitudinal types that can be used to distinguish between the thoughts and feelings of different young adults. A self-completion attitude measure is created and used to gather data from a sample of 18 to 30 year olds living in Preston, UK (n=306). Cluster analysis is then used to identify potential attitude types from among the respondents which are discussed in relation to the four theories.
BurkittI. (1997) ‘Social relationships and emotion’, Sociology, 31 (1) p. 37–55. [doi://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038597031001004]
7.
CalinskiR. B. & HarabaszJ. (1974) ‘A dendrite method for cluster analysis’, Communications in Statistics, 3 (1) p. 1–27 [doi://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03610927408827101]
8.
EngelsF. (1884) The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State.London: Penguin
9.
GiddensA. (1992) The transformation of intimacy.Cambridge: Polity Press.
10.
JacksonS. (1993) ‘Even sociologists fall in love: An exploration in the sociology of emotions’, Sociology, 27 (2) p. 201–220 [doi://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038593027002002]
11.
La PierreR. T. (1934) ‘Attitudes versus action’, Social Forces, 13 (2) p. 230–237 [doi://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2570339]
12.
LuptonD. (1998) The emotional self.London: Sage.
13.
MurdockG. (1949) Social Structure.New York: Macmillan Co.
14.
OppenheimB. (1988) ‘Attitude measurement’ in Doing Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
15.
RusbultC. (1980) ‘Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: A test of the investment model’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16 (2) p. 172–186. [doi://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(80)90007-4]
16.
TurkH. & SimpsonR. L. (Eds.) (1971). Institutions and Social Exchange: The Sociologies of Talcott Parsons and George. C Homans.New York: Sociological Inquiry.
17.
WattL. (2013) An Investigation of Attitudes towards Relationships in the 18 to 30 age group.PhD Thesis: University of Manchester.
18.
ZaretskyE. (1976) Capitalism, the family and personal life.New York; London: Harper & Row.
