A Social Cognitive Conception of Social Structure

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Abstract
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 of four conceptual puzzles in order to reveal the analytic contribution of social cognition to understanding social structure.

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