The Art of Saying No: Hermeneutic Theorizing and the Force of Negation

Assessment of achievement in sociological theory since 1950 could fill a series of books. ‘Theory’ after all contains a multitude of possibilities. Merton (1957c) listed six — methodology, general orientations, analysis of concepts, post factum interpretations, empirical generalisations, and the formulation of scientific laws (statements of invariance derived from a theory) — and implied a seventh — the codification of scientific laws. Of these only the last two, deduction of propositions for empirical test and their cumulation, apparently constitute theory proper. Boudon refers to similar manoeuvres in his ‘Theories, theory and Theory’ (1970). By contrast I shall uphold a more catholic conception, partly so as not to overlap Henk Becker’s chapter on the analytical tradition, and partly out of my own reluctance to disqualify as ‘theory’ work of quality commonly so called just because it is not dedicated to particular conceptions of scientific laws and theory building (cf. Section 4). Cutting my task down to the size allowed by a single chapter is therefore not easy. In order to make it manageable I have chosen to concentrate on the following three themes: 1. the volume and quality of work on the history of social thought and the writings of the great names from the past; 2. the presentation of developments in theory since 1950 in terms of first the orthodoxy of structural functionalism, then the challenges to it from various quarters (including Marxism and conflict theory and the different strands of the hermeneutic or interpretive tradition) which issued in the war of the schools, and finally the circumspection which has followed the excesses of that war and the attempts at synthesis and integration; 3. reassessment of the differentiation of propositional theory by level, range and type in the light of post-empiricist philosophy of social science.

There is little explicit referencing of the Person-Centred Approach in the psychosexual therapy literature and clients who experience sexual difficulties seem seldom to be discussed in publications on person-centred therapy. These ‘silences’ might suggest that there is little interest in establishing a greater dialogue between these two therapeutic approaches, yet there is, we would suggest, considerable value in doing so. Drawing on developments in person-centred theory and practice, we outline and extend in this article the ‘theorization of practice’ that has supported the development of a more person-centred approach to time-limited psychosexual therapy. While acknowledging the tensions that exist between the philosophical tenets underpinning the Person-Centred Approach and the practices that constitute psychosexual therapy, we suggest that the experiential therapies of Gendlin and Rennie provide useful meeting points between the Person-Centred Approach and psychosexual therapy. We argue that in addition to facilitating a more idiographic approach to psychosexual therapy, the Person-Centred Approach helps to widen the scope of practice within psychosexual therapy by placing greater emphasis on the promotion of sexual potential.

Education holds a particular place for theorisations of development formulated since the 1950s. In changing conditions, marked initially by the political economy of the Cold War and decolonisation, and later by globalisation and the political realignments of the post-Cold War era, views on the aims for education, how to systematise school knowledge, organise pedagogy or view school management have been much contested. Particular development theories’ assumptions, research methodologies and practices have emphasised certain aspects of education and de-emphasised others. But little attention has been given to views of justice (both implicit and explicit) and how these orient the dynamics of thinking about education and international development. Six approaches to development theory are explored in this chapter in relation to the ways in which they conceptualise education and social justice. This is a partial selection as it is not possible to explore all the varieties and debates in development theory in one chapter. I have made the selection, partly because these approaches are evident in largely chronological waves from the 1950s and partly because they are those commonly discussed in general reviews of phases of contemporary development theory (Preston, 1996; Munck & O’Hearn, 1999; Rapley, 2002; Gasper, 2004). In discussing them I have tried to draw out how each locates the aims of education and the implications of these for practices advocated in relation to curriculum, pedagogy and management. I also attempt to distil in each approach assumptions about the nature of the person to be educated and the connection between education and social justice. I draw out some of the consequences of these formulations for the preferred forms of research associated with each theory. The consequences of the explanations these offer for global action on education and poverty is then assessed. Modernisation Theory and Nation Building Modernisation theory emerged in the 1950s and 1960s and expressed the view that the economic, political and social formations associated with Western Europe and North America were at a more evolved level of development than what were termed the ‘traditional’, non-modern or underdeveloped societies of the rest of the world. ‘Modernity’ was linked by Rostow (1959) with a market economy where investment and growth in a particular sector would lead to take-off, higher wages and increased consumption. David Apter identifi ed modernity with democratic politics, where local affi liations and

Objectives Multinational corporations headquartered in Asia have steadily taken a greater market share in the global marketplace. This growth will continue, and Asia will be the leading economic force in the 21st century. This article attempts to provide a critical review of the literature of international business and business communication in Asia over the last two decades. Methods This paper describes and reviews intercultural communication and business research and theory development in Asian multinational corporations. It traces the development of cultural, linguistic, and international business streams of research and theory development. Existing models and frameworks that can guide research and theory building are presented to lead to a unified theory of Asian business communication. Results It was shown how distinct management and communication systems developed in Japan, Korea, overseas Chinese countries, and Mainland China. These streams were largely independent and are now going through an initial period of integration. Conclusions There are hopeful signs for expanded research and theory building on Asian business communication. Scholarship and research is shifting to Asia as a way of following the movement of global business communication. A comprehensive framework, theories, and models are needed in order to guide future research endeavors in this increasingly diverse and complex globalized business communication environment and to provide a more complete and comprehensive explanation of international and Asian business communication.

The design of effective interventions for antisocial adolescents has been greatly influenced by research-based developmental theories. However, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) demonstrating effectiveness of these treatments have contributed minimally to alterations and refinements of these theories. In this article, nine guidelines for research that may enhance the contributions of RCTs to developmental theory are proposed: (1) use mediational analyses to test and refine theories of change; (2) use moderator analyses to test differential pathways to change; (3) assess change processes separately for different types of antisocial behavior; (4) use constructive and dismantling designs to isolate effects of intervention components on targeted mediators and outcomes; (5) assess the time-sensitive nature of change mechanisms with theoretically relevant spacing of multiple assessments and long-term follow-ups; (6) expand the nomological net of developmental theories by assessing intervention effects on nontargeted constructs; (7) use RCTs to disentangle direction of effects questions in developmental theories; (8) conduct secondary analyses of RCTs to assess extra-treatment influences on antisocial behavior; and (9) assess the generalizability of mediator and moderator effects. Use of these guidelines may promote a recursive and iterative relationship between RCTs and theory building. Improved developmental theories may yield more effective interventions, and theory-testing interventions may engender more comprehensive and better informed theories.

This book explores the impact of poststructuralism on contemporary political theory by focussing on problems and issues central to politics today. Drawing on the theoretical concerns brought to light by the ‘poststructuralist’ thinkers Foucault, Derrida, Lacan, Deleuze and Max Stirner, Newman provides a critical examination of new developments in contemporary political theory: post-Marxism, discourse analysis, new theories of ideology and power, hegemony, radical democracy and psychoanalytic theory. He re-examines the political in light of these developments in theory to suggest new ways of thinking about politics through a reflection on the challenges that confront it. This volume will be of great interest to students of postmodernism and poststructuralist theory in political science, philosophy, sociology, philosophy and cultural studies.

Where next for design research? Understanding research impact and theory building

This article attempts to contribute to the on-going discussion regarding the ‘future of sociology and social theory’ by suggesting that classical and contemporary social theories have yet to provide satisfactory accounts of the emotional components of human society. Following a discussion of how emotions have been downplayed in classical and contemporary theory, evidence is presented in support of a sociology that would include the study of emotions as part of broader studies of the social. A central proposition of this article is that the harmonization of studies of ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ realities would facilitate the development of a systems theory that neither excludes diversity nor minimizes the immutable emotional needs of individuals and their social systems. In support of the above argument, the author presents some new evidence pointing to the primacy of the human emotions across cultural boundaries.

This paper is purely theoretical in which I have illustrated the contributions of the founding theorist of Western sociology, by focusing on how they addressed (or didn’t address) organizations. Then, I have discussed (in brief) the development of organizational theory and how organizational theorists are responding to the emergence of challenges to the traditional rational approaches to understanding organizations. These analyses are situated on the historical contexts include major contributions of each theorist. This research is solely based on the secondary information. Paper contents four Sections: first the work of the three founding theorists of Western Sociology, Karl Marx; Émile Durkheim and Max Weber, secondly, I have exemplified the development of organizational theory and the emergence of challenges to the traditional rational approaches to understand the organization; where I have analyzed the work of Classical theorists- Max Weber, Henri Fayol, Frederick Taylor, Luther Halsey Gulick, Herbert A. Simon, Berton H. Kaplan, modern theorist- Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, Jacques Derrida, Jurgen Habermas etc. Third Section covers the contemporary theories and perspectives. In this section I have exemplified how Philip Selznick, Peter Blau, James David Thompson and Charles Perrow incorporated the Weber notion of bureaucracy followed by DiMaggio, Paul, J. and Walter W. Powell etc. and in forth section, covers the feminist approach in theory building with focus of organizational analysis (with the focus of Arlene Daniels, Dorothy Smith, Marjorie DeVault, Gisela Bock and Susan James, Martha Calas, Linda Smircich etc. work). This paper has detailed footnotes quoted from the original sources and contents useful reference of the sociological theory and practices for concerned social scientist to build their knowledge base and research direction.

Purpose. This article considers the role of theory and theory building in science and specifically in rehabilitation. It is argued that rehabilitation has tended to value theory testing over theory building and some evidence is presented for this.Method. Some general questions concerning the role of theory in scientific progress are discussed including: What is a theory? What is the role of theory in science? What makes a good scientific theory? How does theoretical change occur in science? Where relevant these questions are discussed in terms of examples from clinical rehabilitation research.Results. Two important issues arising from the preceding discussion are then considered. First is the question of whether a general or unifying theory of rehabilitation is a desirable goal. The second concerns how we might begin to develop a coherent programme of theory building in rehabilitation.Conclusion. More time spent on rehabilitation theory building may enhance the fruits of empirical theory testing.

The chapter discusses the qualitative analysis method of the grounded theory (GT) and its application in the generation or building theory. The emphasis in the GT approach is on building theory rather than validating the existing theories. The GT methodology has been a topic of interest to management researchers and is intellectually challenging. In order to enhance understanding and skills for continuous professional development and to improve conditions, theory building should be considered a vital activity. In new circumstances where social systems cannot provide a certain predictive power, the need for new theories is felt. The topics discussed in this chapter revolve around theory and theory building; inductive, deductive, and abductive approaches to constructing theory; levels, functions, components, and evaluation of theories; research methods used in theory development; and in particular, the GT method and its application in theoretical coding and the reliability of this approach in serving these purposes.

This article argues for a liberal and pragmatic approach to human resource development (HRD) theory building, which, while retaining academic rigor, celebrates difference and allows learning from more than one ontological paradigm. The author argues that the paradigmatic struggle between positivists and constructivists for supremacy in the HRD field is futile because each ontology draws on such different political positions, discourses, and languages. The possibilities of rigorous and innovative theory building within the constructivist paradigm are both exciting and important for developing new knowledge in HRD, allowing both creativity and imagination to flourish in the research process. The author illustrates the richness of this approach through her own experiences of qualitative theory building from a single case study and suggests that the metaphor of research as bricolage can offer many new and refreshing possibilities for researchers in the field of HRD.

Theory development is an important component of academic research since it can lead to the acquisition of new knowledge, the development of a field of study, and the formation of theoretical foundations to explain various phenomena. The contribution of qualitative researchers to theory development and advancement remains significant and highly valued, especially in an era of various epochal shifts and technological innovation in the form of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Even so, the academic community has not yet fully explored the dynamics of AI in research and there are significant gaps in our understanding of how AI can be used most effectively in the context of theory building. The aim of this paper, which is driven by critical and conceptualization methodological dynamics, is to investigate the role of AI in the theory development process. As such, it critically evaluates the opportunities and limitations of AI in theory building, delivers a conceptual map of the nexus between AI and theory development, and presents key considerations for the use of AI in the creation of new theories or the advancement of existing ones. Though the necessity of AI tools in theory creation is contested given that the researchers' cognitive and evaluative skills are regarded as critical in this process, the value of AI in advancing theory is not to be underestimated.

The article discusses sensegiving in Hong Kong, China during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak. Organizational life and leadership activities count sensegiving as an important activity which can include social and outgoing properties. Sensegiving spirals include circles and feedback loops which can impact both an individual's self loop and another parties' mutual loop. Research on sensegiving is conducted through theory building, prior theory, and data collection which is then analyzed.

This paper explores the historical and contemporary status of sociological theory in the global south. In doing so, it examines three research questions. First, what social forces did contribute to making, remaking, or ending sociological theory in the global north? Next, what societal factors did impede the development of sociological theory in the global south? Third, how can sociologists in the global south build sociological theory? This article surveys northern sociological theories best known to date to examine the first question. In particular, it explores the complete trajectories (their birth, development, and crisis) of two grand theories in northern sociology called Functionalism and Marxism. In investigating the second and third research questions, this paper traces the historical status of southern sociological theory by surveying the extant sociological literature from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It deploys historical and comparative methodological approaches to scrutinize the global literature on sociological theory. One of the article’s central findings is that while northern sociological theories emerged, expanded, and ended due to the structural necessities of northern societies, southern sociological theories were unseen because of the absence of such needs in southern societies. Another finding shows that although southern sociology lacks sociological theory, it may produce new sociological theory by drawing on indigenous philosophies, postcolonial studies, and emerging global realities. Overall, this study critically examines the theoretical trajectories in western sociology and the challenges and possibilities of theory building in southern sociology. Keywords: Sociological Theory, Theory Building, Western Sociology, Southern Sociology, Functionalism, Marxism, Asia, Africa and Latin America.