Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: Two strands of empirical research were based on Heider’s work. One was experimental and remained true to idea that mental affect processes operating within human actors are central while the other jumped to the level of group dynamics and relegated the mental affect processes to the status of background phenomena. By the 1980s, both strands had petered out with little cumulated knowledge. Recently, the ‘group-level’ strand of research has received renewed attention. Much of the recent work, while vigorous, has fallen short precisely because it ignored some of the foundational ideas of Heider. Given this diagnosis, I suggest a new research agenda for structural balance theory that integrates the dynamics of mental affect processes with group-level dynamics.
DOI: 10.51936/endv4919
Author: Patrick Doreian
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2139058500