The Long Arm of Work (4/7)

The Kohn analysis of ValuesThe influence of occupational autonomy on education and familyAlienation of work

Dates to Remember4/9 finish Contract Draft #3 4/14 ch. 12, Draft #3 and Discussion #7

Hand in Drafts #1 and #2 with Draft #34/23 complete One World Final due date 4/30Final exam date 5/5

Suggested Format

1. Abstract 1p.

2. Introduction 1-2 pp.

3. Review of Literature 3-4 pp.

4. Method 2-3 pp.

5. Core analysis 3-5 pp.

6. Discussion 1-4 pp.

7. Conclusions and Implications 1-4 pp.

8. Bibliography 1-2 pp.

How Optional is the Suggested Format?

There is no one-size-fits-all way to construct a sustained, focused theoretical analysis.

Often the suggested format is not comfortable; but comfort may not be a sufficient reason for changing it.

There is a reason for each piece; it is usually harder to do that in a different way.

The pieces may be in different form or order. A separate Discussion helps to focus the Main

analysis and the Conclusions. If the Core, the Discussion and the Conclusion

is minimal, the paper is probably problematical.

What goes in a “Discussion?” The Discussion (1-4 pp.) can be of several

different kinds. A “theory” paper cannot allow the “facts to

speak for themselves” Empirical analysis and the confrontation of

theory with data almost always raises many different kinds of questions.

Often, segregating some of the discussions from the rest of the main analysis and conclusion allows those to be more focused and the discussion of the issues better developed

What goes in a “Conclusion?” The Conclusion (1-4pp.) should return to the

main issues of the Introduction and the literature.

It often generalizes beyond the specific data, looking at Theoretical implications of the analysis Practical implications of the analysis.

Either the Conclusion or the Discussion can be short; they should not both be short.

Melvin Kohn President of ASA in 1992 Values and work: Combines Functional and Conflict theory. Most jobs lack autonomy, responsibility, and

judgment; they involve close supervision in an antagonistic relation.

This situation is debilitating and undermines the values of autonomy and responsibility.

Master of the analysis of reciprocal causation and systemic effects.

Value system

Measurement instrument: There are many qualities all of which are important for a child. Tell me which one is the most important for your child (if you had a child)

Parents were usually asked to pick the most important quality from the list, then next most important… and to discard the least important.

Gives a measure of the (parental) priorities with respect to different values.

Values and $His analysis is usually taken to b e a

development of the notion of alienation.There is widespread recognition of the

need for people to be treated with human dignity and to be granted as much autonomy and responsibility as is practicable.

The notion that the value of autonomy is central to modern society is central to both Marx and to Durkheim.

Functional and conflict accounts of values: Like functionalists, he assumes that values

play a big role in the rest of a person’s life. Like conflict theorists, he assumes that jobs

and $ play a big role. The work situation of most workers is closely

supervised and without autonomy, self-direction or responsibility.

Why? Kohn suggests that someone is making a

buck from the limitation and unfreedom of others.

The question of “Exploitation”Wright (American Sociological Review:

67: 832-853 (2002) argues that the central blind spot of Weber and of Functionalist analysis of the labor process as technically efficient is:

Exploitation: When those with power make the rules, they make rules to benefit themselves, which is usually disadvantageous to their

subordinates.

The qualities from which the parents had to choose

1. That s/he has good manners

2. That s/ he gets along well with other children

3. That s/ he is neat and clean

4. That s/ he acts like a boy (she acts like a girl)

5. That s/ he obeys his/her parents well

6. That s/ he is good student

1. That s/ he is honest

2. That s/ he has self control

3. That s/ he has good sense and sound judgment

4. That s/ he is responsible

5. That s/ he is interested in how things work

6. That s/ he is considerate of others

Class and Conformity (1969)Kohn found that the main dimension of

value-difference was autonomy-conformity I.e. internal control-external control.

And the main source of valuing autonomy was that one had autonomy and self-direction at work.

Work and Personality (1983) and Social Structure and Self-direction (1990)

In general parents who chose any one value of conformity (obeys, good manners, neat + clean, acts like a boy) chose other values of conformity.

Parents who chose any one value of autonomy (interested, responsible, judgment, self control) chose others.

The main dimension is internal locus of control vs. external locus of control.

Correlates of external vs internal

Occupational self-direction is associated with: Internal locus of control Ideational flexibility Autonomy

Close supervision is associated with: External locus of control Authoritarianism Anxiety and distress.

Causes of valuing autonomy The value of autonomy and freedom is

arguably central to the United States and to the modern world.

In general, only parents whose work gave them autonomy and responsibility, valued autonomy and responsibility;

Parents whose work was closely supervised, valued external conformity.

Kohn’s subsequent work verified this effect in many different societies and many different situations, especially education and the family.

Norms and Behavior This is the Marxian analysis of alienation. It is also similar to Parsons’ analysis of the

relation between norms and interactions. It can be pictured:

Behavior Norms

+

+

The Marxian form:1. Work is one of the most important

influences on one’s character.2. Some kinds of work make one more; others

make one less.3. Those at the top have work that tends to

make them and their families more autonomous and free.

4. Those at the bottom have work that makes them authoritarian, anxious, and distressed.

5. Chains in people’s minds compound the cumulation of resources.

The Parsonian formValues are one of the most important

components of society and individual careers.

The values of autonomy are the basis of modern values.

But one has to demonstrate worthiness for autonomy by one’s achievement.

Education allows people to achieve the position to which they are entitled.

Comparison of the U.S. Italy, Poland and Japan Kohn’s later work shows that the same class

effects show up in all advanced industrial societies.

There were interesting and minor differences in the different countries, but the main effect of occupational autonomy showed up strongly in all four countries.

He classed Eastern European countries as socialist.

The distress/authoritarianism of manual workers and the advantages of managers were smaller in those countries.

Is it the behavior that creates the values or vice versa? Longitudinal panel analysis over two decades

shows that the main effect is from occupation to values to education and family relations,

But the effect of values and of parental values on education and occupational choice is also significant.

P. 338 In general the effects of class situation on values is greater than vv.

Even a 50-60 yr. old wo/man given a job with occupational self direction, develops significantly increased ideational flexibility and value of autonomy, rapidly

Effects of autonomy/close supervision in the family: The same measures that are used to

measure autonomy and accountability at work, can be applied to division of labor in the family.

Both husband/wife and parent child division of labor, autonomy and control appear to be an offshoot of occupational roles.

The degree of autonomy in family roles seem to be a reflection of that in occupational roles.

Autonomy and self-direction in education. The fundamental question raised by much of

Kohn’s work is : Why, if self-direction produces greater

flexibility and motivation and less distress and anxiety, is education, especially at lower levels, so characterized by close supervision?

The long arm of work intrudes into education in several different ways.

Macro-theory and ecological analysis. Durkheim’s analysis was not developed from

surveys but from existing data. Different political bodies have different rates

of any behavior you might be interested in. Comparing rates of different behaviors to

indicators of causes allows a kind of macro-analysis.

Often a Discussion can usefully compare what is found in survey data to what is visib le in ecological data or vice versa.

The States data setData exists for many different kinds of

rates (income, immigration, educational failure or success, suicide, crime, cultural and social structural indices.)

Since many other kinds of data are available for states, it is relatively easy to add data to the data set.

Scatter-plotsThe equivalent presentation of data to a

crosstabulation in survey data is a scatterplot in which each state is measures with respect to two different variables.

The association ranges from +1 to -1The regression line is the line that best

fits the points.

A Correlation Matrix It is possible to inspect the relations

between a large number of variables to see which ones cluster in what ways by looking at a correlation matrix.

The correlation coefficient is the equivalent of gamma.

Each variable has a perfect positive relation (+1) with itself

A Multiple Regression The main advantage of regression lines is

that they may be calculated between several variables simultaneously.

A multiple regression coefficient is the equivalent of a partial gamma.

And it gives the effect of one independent variable, controlling the effects of all others that are included in the equation.

By WednesdayLook at one regression

concerning education that might be relevant to the discussions

we have had of the effects of poverty and the of the culture of poverty.

What are the advantages and the limitations of ecological data?