Actor Interests in a Social Topology: Foundation for a Structural Theory of Action*

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Abstract
Actors use their resources to realize their “interests.” How are actor interests patterned by the social structure in which actors find themselves? The purpose of this discussion is to propose a structural law of perception that provides a general basis for applying network concepts in empirical studies of human action so as to bridge two heretofore irreconcilable perspectives in social action theory. In terms of postulates of purposive action and marginal evaluation, “atomistic” versus “normative” perspectives on action differ in their interpretation of how actors make perceptions within a social context. Stevens' law provides a rigorous function form describing subjective evaluations. Network analysis provides rigorous description of the social context in which subjective evaluations are made. Modifying Stevens' law so as to take into account a social context of evaluation (that context being a structure of distances between actors in a system ensured by an inevitable division of labor), a structural law of perception is proposed. The proposed perceptual model states that actor interests are patterned by actors' positions in social structure. Using the proposed model, conditions sufficient for the occurrence of social norms in a group and a specific functional form for relative deprivation effects are derived. The derivations are in accord with, and generalize, classic empirical studies of social norms and relative deprivation. Implications for structural action theory are discussed.

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