(1985). Levine's Atlas of Corporate Interlocks. Connections ... - INSNA

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network size, amount of emotional support, and time spent with confidantes and relatives . With
age controlled, the best predictors of life satisfaction were network size, frequency of church
attendance, and proportion of network members considered intimates . Results are discussed
with regard to the multidimensionality of the social support construct .
Marybeth SHINN (Psych, NYU & Russell Sage Fdn), Stanley LEHMANN (Psych, NYU) & Nora
WONG (Psych, Michigan) . 1984 . "Social Interaction and Social Support ." 55-76 .
Typical research models of social support are overly simple on two grounds . First, they treat
social support as exogenous to the model . That is, models incorporate the effects of social
support on stressors and on psychological distress, but typically ignore the influences of
stressors, psychological distress, personal characteristics of recipients, and environmental
constraints on support . Second, the models typically consider only positive consequences of
social interactions, although these interactions may also have negative consequences . Further,
actions that are perceived as helpful by the donor, the recipient, or both can have harmful
effects if they do not fit individual circumstances . Five dimensions of fit between the
characteristics of the recipient and those of the supportive act are proposed : amount, timing,
source, structure, and function . Implications for'research and intervention are discussed .
Sally SHUMAKER (Behav Med, Nat'l Insts of Health) & Arlene BROWNELL (Psych, Indiana) . 1984 .
"Toward a Theory of Social Support : Closing Conceptual Gaps ." 11-36 .
We define social support as "an exchange of resources between two individuals perceived by the
provider or the recipient to be intended to enhance the well-being of the recipient ." We then
discuss the assumptions and implications of this definition and address several gaps in the
support literature . Specifically, we consider the costs and benefits of supportive exchanges
for both participants, the dual and possibly incongruent perceptions of support held by the
provider and the recipient, and the importance of non-network sources of support . In addition,
we distinguish between the health-sustaining versus health-compensating functions of support
and how these functions link with the resources provided in supportive exchanges . We next
address the factors that can influence support effects and suggest a broad range of outcomes
for both the provider and the recipient . Finally, we distinguish the dimensions of support
from the contextural variables that can influence its quality and effectiveness .
INSNA note : Last issue we announced the birth of a new journal, POWER AND ELITES,
edited by Thomas Dye and G . William Domhoff. We present here abstracts from the first and
only issue of that journal (vol 1(1) Fall, 1984) . It has folded, Domhoff writes INSNA,
because of irreconcilable differences between the editors and the publishers .
Clarence STONE (Maryland) . "New Class or Convergence : Competing Interpretations of
the Impact of Social Complexity on the Structure of Urban Power ." 1-22 .
Contemporary society is complex society . That is an important fact, but one with implications
that are variously understood . For some, complexity means a shift in the base of power from
property to knowledge--a shift that enhances the position of policy entrepreneurs and program
administrators at the expense of business elites, and facilitates the growth of government
But there is another view, one not treating knowledge and property as competing bases of
power . This second view, one that focuses on the political importance of large-scale organizations,
is perhaps less widely understood . My aim is to present the main tenets and assumptions
of both views . One I shall call the "New Class scenario," in recognition of the argument
that the knowledge stratum of complex society works through the public sector to achieve
aims antagonistic to those of propertied elites . The other I shall term the "convergence
scenario," to emphasize the contrasting view that knowledge and property, instead of being
antagonistic bases of power, are often brought together within large-scale organizations and
in accommodations between large-scale organizations .
I shall also describe development policy in Atlanta so that we can see which scenario it best
fits . While Atlanta's development experience follows more closely the convergence scenario,
the specifics of that experience suggest some refinements in the convergence argument . Other
observations in other communities and in different policy arenas can be expected to add to
our understanding of the relationship between property and knowledge under conditions of social
complexity .
Mark MIZRUCHI (Albert Einstein C . of Med) . "An Interorganizational Theory of Class
Cohesion : Incorporating Resource Dependence Concepts into a Social Class Model of Intercorporate
Relations ." 23-36 .
In this paper I develop a model of capitalist class cohesion which employs concepts developed
within the resource dependence perspective . Specifically, I show how certain resource
dependence propositions can be employed to account for sources of economic and political