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The correspondence between foreign policy rhetoric and behavior: Insights from role theory and exchange theory
Author(s) -
Walker Stephen G.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 0005-7940
DOI - 10.1002/bs.3830260309
Subject(s) - rhetoric , social exchange theory , positive economics , epistemology , conceptual framework , summative assessment , heuristic , systems theory , metatheory , sociology , index (typography) , management science , social science , economics , computer science , artificial intelligence , philosophy , linguistics , pedagogy , formative assessment , world wide web
Abstract In this paper two theories which originated from research at the level of individual organisms or persons, i.e. role theory and exchange theory, are employed to analyze patterns of rhetoric and behavior at the level of societal systems or nations. The data sources include a content analysis of speeches by the leaders of these nations and an inventory of foreign policy actions attributed to their nations. The analysis incorporates many of the concepts and propositions from role theory, relates them to the principles of exchange theory, and tests some research hypotheses derived from the synthesis of role theory and exchange theory. The findings offer qualified support for these propositions, but various methodological problems associated with merging two data sets for a secondary analysis make the results of these tests heuristic rather than conclusive. However, the analysis does illustrate how a synthesis of role theory and exchange theory might offer some insights into the description and explanation of foreign policy rhetoric and behavior. Methodologically, a summative aggregation strategy of index construction for role and exchange theory makes it possible to employ a synthesis of these two conceptual systems in the exploration of living systems at two levels: individual and society.