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Stone's Hypothesis of “Personalizing” Shopping as Compensation for Urban Depersonalization: A Reconsideration *
Author(s) -
Guest Avery M.,
Brooks Anna M.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.1980.tb00834.x
Subject(s) - argument (complex analysis) , compensation (psychology) , depersonalization , replication (statistics) , interpersonal ties , social psychology , sociology , psychology , emotional exhaustion , medicine , clinical psychology , burnout , virology
Critics of Wirth's theory of urban life suggest that he underemphasized the extent of urban social networks that counteract trends toward depersonalization. One argument, by Stone. claims that persons who lack social ties at the neighborhood level compensate by establishing personal relationships in shopping, an activity normally considered highly pecuniary in orientation. A replication of Stone's theory for grocery shoppers shows just the opposite. If anything, persons who lack social ties at the neighborhood level also minimize “personalizing” in their grocery shopping.