Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, cons... more Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, consistent correlations between self-esteem and behavioral outcomes. Some researchers have interpreted this as indicating that self-esteem is inconsequential in many important areas of life. However, the model of direct causality used in correlational research, between a general self-esteem trait and specific behaviors, may be unrealistic. In contrast, this paper develops a model of self-esteem-motivated behaviour as originating from past, current or future (desired) self-concepts. This model shows how an interaction of catalytic factors determines how self-esteem influences behaviour. That is, what “self-esteem” actually “does.” By clarifying the different ways in which self-esteem affects behavior, the model shows that construing self-esteem as a passive variable with direct causal influence on behavior is inadequate and misleading and that previous contradictory results are a consequence of this misconceptualization and subsequent reification of self-esteem. Because self-esteem and the self-concept are inseparable (one is an attitude towards the other) self-esteem-motivated behavior is always about self-construction, and thus performative. Future self-esteem research and theory should therefore focus on how people seek to enact, maintain, or defend a desired identity through performative actions.
Information, Communication & Society, Apr 23, 2021
The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games... more The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games. On Twitch.tv – the leading platform for gameplay streaming – influencers livestream themselves pla...
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Feb 16, 2023
In both policy-making and academia, the realisation is growing that transitions striving for sust... more In both policy-making and academia, the realisation is growing that transitions striving for sustainability have to be just to be socially accepted. This insight has given rise to institutionalised approaches to a "just transition"but also beyond these, justice is a key challenge in the governance of sustainability transitions. In this paper, we examine how justice arguments are being used in national-level discourses of transition governance in Sweden. Analysing 121 policy-related documents from 2019 to 2021, we found that justice was discursively treated in a way that essentially stifled change. Political actors attempted to trump each other's justice claims rather than to genuinely engage with them. Justice concerns that would not serve re-election, such as solidarity across social boundaries, were almost absent from the material. Based on these findings, we critically explore how justice arguments contribute to politicizing transition governance in particular ways, rendering some policy options impossible.
The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games... more The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games. On Twitch.tv – the leading platform for gameplay streaming – influencers livestream themselves pla...
Abstract This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use p... more Abstract This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use patterns in online dating among young adults. Focus group data suggest emojis play a similar role as non-verbal behaviors do in an offline context, where coordination is used to ascertain mutual interest. The data shows how the degree of synchronization in emoji use patterns (such as frequency, types, and style) is used as a feedback tool to assess a chat partner's romantic fit. Attunement of emoji use patterns between the partners is also used to signal and gage interest, for example by using suggestive emojis to “test” the other partner's interest and intentions, or to establish a shared mood. Conversely, a lack of reciprocity is experienced as awkward or wrong and can produce insecurity and doubt. To understand this back-and-forth process of mutual suggestion and attunement, we propose a modified version of Collins’ interaction ritual model. In this model, we highlight the importance of shared interpretative schemas and interaction scripts, which set normative expectations for how emoji patterns can be used to build sexual or romantic chemistry.
Much research has demonstrated that human behavior can never be fully accounted for by deliberate... more Much research has demonstrated that human behavior can never be fully accounted for by deliberate rationality, as much of what happens in the human mind occurs outside of our awareness and beyond conscious control. Contemporary dual-process theories attempt to detail this duality of the human mind by distinguishing between two fundamentally different types of cognitive processes: on the one hand the nonconscious, automatic, and intuitive; and the conscious, deliberate, and rational on the other. These models also attempt to describe how the two types of processes interact with each other, and how various contextual factors influence their relationship. Dual-process models of cognition have proven useful in many fields of study, yet sociological use of these models to understand the micromechanisms of culture have been largely limited until very recently. This chapter aims to provide insight into dual-process models of cognition and their close resemblance with many core cultural the...
Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, cons... more Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, consistent correlations between self-esteem and behavioral outcomes. Some researchers have interpreted this as indicating that self-esteem is inconsequential in many important areas of life. However, the model of direct causality used in correlational research, between a general self-esteem trait and specific behaviors, may be unrealistic. In contrast, this paper develops a model of self-esteem-motivated behaviour as originating from past, current or future (desired) self-concepts. This model shows how an interaction of catalytic factors determines how self-esteem influences behaviour. That is, what “self-esteem” actually “does.” By clarifying the different ways in which self-esteem affects behavior, the model shows that construing self-esteem as a passive variable with direct causal influence on behavior is inadequate and misleading and that previous contradictory results are a consequence ...
The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games... more The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games. On Twitch.tv – the leading platform for gameplay streaming – influencers livestream themselves playing games while viewers watch and interact with them. Previous research suggests that social interaction may be critical for a successful stream but has not studied gameplay streams as Interaction Rituals, a model describing how interaction lead to social motivation. Analysis of four gameplay streams shows how the streamer, through inclusion strategies and active viewer participation, promote viewer engagement in a way that resembles the mechanisms of offline Interaction Rituals. The model, therefore, appears to be useful for understanding how successful gameplay streams draw a returning audience through producing positive social emotions and parasocial attachment to the group.
This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use patterns i... more This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use patterns in online dating among young adults. Focus group data suggest emojis play a similar role as non-verbal behaviors do in an offline context, where coordination is used to ascertain mutual interest. The data shows how the degree of synchronization in emoji use patterns (such as frequency, types, and style) is used as a feedback tool to assess a chat partner's romantic fit. Attunement of emoji use patterns between the partners is also used to signal and gage interest, for example by using suggestive emojis to “test” the other partner's interest and intentions, or to establish a shared mood. Conversely, a lack of reciprocity is experienced as awkward or wrong and can produce insecurity and doubt. To understand this back-and-forth process of mutual suggestion and attunement, we propose a modified version of Collins’ interaction ritual model. In this model, we highlight the importance of shared interpretative schemas and interaction scripts, which set normative expectations for how emoji patterns can be used to build sexual or romantic chemistry.
Individualization remains the most prominent theoretical explanation for the shifts in European d... more Individualization remains the most prominent theoretical explanation for the shifts in European demographic trends since the 1960s, including decreasing marriage and fertility rates and increasing divorce rates. Demographic theorists suggest that a shift from traditional to individualized values, such as autonomy and self-realization, has been driving these trends. However, conceptualizing individualization as a set of values cannot account for why Swedish marriage rates have increased since 1998, despite highly individualized values. This article suggests re-thinking individualization as a form of internally referring attributions in causal and moral reasoning about human behavior, emphasizing agency and internal causes over structure or context. As such, individualization shapes peoples’ perceptions and understandings of the world, including their expectations of marriage and close relationships. Data from focus groups support this conceptualization and show how participants individualize risks, while perceiving marriage itself as inconsequential. In line with previous research, individualized reasoning obfuscated assumptions that were less individualized and implicit.
Self-esteem research has been in ‘‘crisis’’ during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, co... more Self-esteem research has been in ‘‘crisis’’ during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, consistent correlations between self-esteem and behavioral outcomes. Some researchers have interpreted this as indicating that self-esteem is inconsequential in many important areas of life. However, the model of direct causality used in correlational research, between a general self-esteem trait and specific behaviors, may be unrealistic. In contrast, this paper develops a model of self-esteem-motivated behaviour as originating from past, current or future (desired) self-concepts. This model shows how an interaction of catalytic factors determines how self-esteem influences behaviour. That is, what ‘self-esteem’’ actually ‘‘does.’’ By clarifying the different ways in which self-esteem affects behavior, the model shows that construing self-esteem as a passive variable with direct causal influence on behavior is inadequate and misleading and that previous contradictory results are a consequence of this misconceptualization and subsequent reification of self-esteem. Because self-esteem and the self-concept are inseparable (one is an attitude towards the other) self-esteem-motivated behavior is always about self-construction, and thus performative. Future self-esteem research and theory should therefore focus on how people seek to enact, maintain, or defend a desired identity through performative actions.
Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, cons... more Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, consistent correlations between self-esteem and behavioral outcomes. Some researchers have interpreted this as indicating that self-esteem is inconsequential in many important areas of life. However, the model of direct causality used in correlational research, between a general self-esteem trait and specific behaviors, may be unrealistic. In contrast, this paper develops a model of self-esteem-motivated behaviour as originating from past, current or future (desired) self-concepts. This model shows how an interaction of catalytic factors determines how self-esteem influences behaviour. That is, what “self-esteem” actually “does.” By clarifying the different ways in which self-esteem affects behavior, the model shows that construing self-esteem as a passive variable with direct causal influence on behavior is inadequate and misleading and that previous contradictory results are a consequence of this misconceptualization and subsequent reification of self-esteem. Because self-esteem and the self-concept are inseparable (one is an attitude towards the other) self-esteem-motivated behavior is always about self-construction, and thus performative. Future self-esteem research and theory should therefore focus on how people seek to enact, maintain, or defend a desired identity through performative actions.
Information, Communication & Society, Apr 23, 2021
The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games... more The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games. On Twitch.tv – the leading platform for gameplay streaming – influencers livestream themselves pla...
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Feb 16, 2023
In both policy-making and academia, the realisation is growing that transitions striving for sust... more In both policy-making and academia, the realisation is growing that transitions striving for sustainability have to be just to be socially accepted. This insight has given rise to institutionalised approaches to a "just transition"but also beyond these, justice is a key challenge in the governance of sustainability transitions. In this paper, we examine how justice arguments are being used in national-level discourses of transition governance in Sweden. Analysing 121 policy-related documents from 2019 to 2021, we found that justice was discursively treated in a way that essentially stifled change. Political actors attempted to trump each other's justice claims rather than to genuinely engage with them. Justice concerns that would not serve re-election, such as solidarity across social boundaries, were almost absent from the material. Based on these findings, we critically explore how justice arguments contribute to politicizing transition governance in particular ways, rendering some policy options impossible.
The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games... more The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games. On Twitch.tv – the leading platform for gameplay streaming – influencers livestream themselves pla...
Abstract This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use p... more Abstract This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use patterns in online dating among young adults. Focus group data suggest emojis play a similar role as non-verbal behaviors do in an offline context, where coordination is used to ascertain mutual interest. The data shows how the degree of synchronization in emoji use patterns (such as frequency, types, and style) is used as a feedback tool to assess a chat partner's romantic fit. Attunement of emoji use patterns between the partners is also used to signal and gage interest, for example by using suggestive emojis to “test” the other partner's interest and intentions, or to establish a shared mood. Conversely, a lack of reciprocity is experienced as awkward or wrong and can produce insecurity and doubt. To understand this back-and-forth process of mutual suggestion and attunement, we propose a modified version of Collins’ interaction ritual model. In this model, we highlight the importance of shared interpretative schemas and interaction scripts, which set normative expectations for how emoji patterns can be used to build sexual or romantic chemistry.
Much research has demonstrated that human behavior can never be fully accounted for by deliberate... more Much research has demonstrated that human behavior can never be fully accounted for by deliberate rationality, as much of what happens in the human mind occurs outside of our awareness and beyond conscious control. Contemporary dual-process theories attempt to detail this duality of the human mind by distinguishing between two fundamentally different types of cognitive processes: on the one hand the nonconscious, automatic, and intuitive; and the conscious, deliberate, and rational on the other. These models also attempt to describe how the two types of processes interact with each other, and how various contextual factors influence their relationship. Dual-process models of cognition have proven useful in many fields of study, yet sociological use of these models to understand the micromechanisms of culture have been largely limited until very recently. This chapter aims to provide insight into dual-process models of cognition and their close resemblance with many core cultural the...
Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, cons... more Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, consistent correlations between self-esteem and behavioral outcomes. Some researchers have interpreted this as indicating that self-esteem is inconsequential in many important areas of life. However, the model of direct causality used in correlational research, between a general self-esteem trait and specific behaviors, may be unrealistic. In contrast, this paper develops a model of self-esteem-motivated behaviour as originating from past, current or future (desired) self-concepts. This model shows how an interaction of catalytic factors determines how self-esteem influences behaviour. That is, what “self-esteem” actually “does.” By clarifying the different ways in which self-esteem affects behavior, the model shows that construing self-esteem as a passive variable with direct causal influence on behavior is inadequate and misleading and that previous contradictory results are a consequence ...
The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games... more The expanding gaming industry now includes a large group of consumers who watch others play games. On Twitch.tv – the leading platform for gameplay streaming – influencers livestream themselves playing games while viewers watch and interact with them. Previous research suggests that social interaction may be critical for a successful stream but has not studied gameplay streams as Interaction Rituals, a model describing how interaction lead to social motivation. Analysis of four gameplay streams shows how the streamer, through inclusion strategies and active viewer participation, promote viewer engagement in a way that resembles the mechanisms of offline Interaction Rituals. The model, therefore, appears to be useful for understanding how successful gameplay streams draw a returning audience through producing positive social emotions and parasocial attachment to the group.
This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use patterns i... more This study adds to research on digital interactions by exploring the role of emoji use patterns in online dating among young adults. Focus group data suggest emojis play a similar role as non-verbal behaviors do in an offline context, where coordination is used to ascertain mutual interest. The data shows how the degree of synchronization in emoji use patterns (such as frequency, types, and style) is used as a feedback tool to assess a chat partner's romantic fit. Attunement of emoji use patterns between the partners is also used to signal and gage interest, for example by using suggestive emojis to “test” the other partner's interest and intentions, or to establish a shared mood. Conversely, a lack of reciprocity is experienced as awkward or wrong and can produce insecurity and doubt. To understand this back-and-forth process of mutual suggestion and attunement, we propose a modified version of Collins’ interaction ritual model. In this model, we highlight the importance of shared interpretative schemas and interaction scripts, which set normative expectations for how emoji patterns can be used to build sexual or romantic chemistry.
Individualization remains the most prominent theoretical explanation for the shifts in European d... more Individualization remains the most prominent theoretical explanation for the shifts in European demographic trends since the 1960s, including decreasing marriage and fertility rates and increasing divorce rates. Demographic theorists suggest that a shift from traditional to individualized values, such as autonomy and self-realization, has been driving these trends. However, conceptualizing individualization as a set of values cannot account for why Swedish marriage rates have increased since 1998, despite highly individualized values. This article suggests re-thinking individualization as a form of internally referring attributions in causal and moral reasoning about human behavior, emphasizing agency and internal causes over structure or context. As such, individualization shapes peoples’ perceptions and understandings of the world, including their expectations of marriage and close relationships. Data from focus groups support this conceptualization and show how participants individualize risks, while perceiving marriage itself as inconsequential. In line with previous research, individualized reasoning obfuscated assumptions that were less individualized and implicit.
Self-esteem research has been in ‘‘crisis’’ during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, co... more Self-esteem research has been in ‘‘crisis’’ during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, consistent correlations between self-esteem and behavioral outcomes. Some researchers have interpreted this as indicating that self-esteem is inconsequential in many important areas of life. However, the model of direct causality used in correlational research, between a general self-esteem trait and specific behaviors, may be unrealistic. In contrast, this paper develops a model of self-esteem-motivated behaviour as originating from past, current or future (desired) self-concepts. This model shows how an interaction of catalytic factors determines how self-esteem influences behaviour. That is, what ‘self-esteem’’ actually ‘‘does.’’ By clarifying the different ways in which self-esteem affects behavior, the model shows that construing self-esteem as a passive variable with direct causal influence on behavior is inadequate and misleading and that previous contradictory results are a consequence of this misconceptualization and subsequent reification of self-esteem. Because self-esteem and the self-concept are inseparable (one is an attitude towards the other) self-esteem-motivated behavior is always about self-construction, and thus performative. Future self-esteem research and theory should therefore focus on how people seek to enact, maintain, or defend a desired identity through performative actions.
Culture-Cognition Interaction: Bridging Cognitive Science and Cultural Sociology, 2017
A growing number of sociologists are now joining the interdisciplinary project of studying cultur... more A growing number of sociologists are now joining the interdisciplinary project of studying culture-cognition interaction. However, broad engagement has been prevented by the vastly different vocabularies of cognitive science and cultural theory, which creates the illusion of mutual incommensurability and irrelevance. “Cultural schemas” offers promise as a conceptual bridge between these vocabularies, but the relationship between cultural and cognitive schemas requires further clarification by cultural sociologists to facilitate broader engagement and two-way compatibility. This paper reviews the schema concept and makes four interrelated arguments for conceptualizing cultural schemas and their relationship to cognitive schemas and other cultural conceptualizations. Cultural schemas should: 1) be conceptualized as a social analogue to cognitive schemas rather than as a subtype of mental patterns; 2) have the same conceptual role and structure as cognitive schemas in relation to other concepts, as an umbrella term subsuming other, more specific conceptualizations of culture; 3) be thought of as a supra-individual phenomenon with emergent properties while recognizing the neurocognitive microfoundations of culture; and 4) emphasize the asymmetric relationships between culture and cognition, and the disparate mental and social mechanisms involved as one shapes another. A multilevel analytical framework of this relationship, based on established macro-micro models, is suggested.
This paper briefly covers the history of culture and cognition -research in broad strokes to illu... more This paper briefly covers the history of culture and cognition -research in broad strokes to illustrate how we ended up in a situation where ‘cognition’ is a foreign term to culture researchers (as is ‘culture’ to many cognitive scientists). It describes the separate developments of cognitive science and cultural studies, and the subsequent developments cultural sociology drawing heavily upon the latter while being largely disconnected from the former. Finally, the paper describes the emergence of cognitive sociology and its two main approaches that I label isolationism and reductionism. However, this chasm is a product of how the conceptual vocabularies of cognitive science and cultural sociology developed in relative isolation of each other. The paper is an abridged online version of a doctoral dissertation introduction.
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