Social Experimentation Self-Process or Social Role

Brock K. Kilbourne and James T. Richardson
Additional contact information
Brock K. Kilbourne: University of Nevada, Reno
James T. Richardson: University of Nevada, Reno

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 1985, vol. 31, issue 1, 13-22

Abstract: The present article uses Lifton's protean man concept to describe a pattern of social experimentation with new religious, cultic and self-growth groups in con temporary American society. However, proteanism or social experimentation is understood herein to signify a positive search by some for meaning, identity and community, and to describe more aptly a new social role, rather than a new form of self-process. We delineate the social experimenter role and its various support systems within society (i.e., the cultic/self-growth subculture, the entrepreneurs of experience, and the cominant culture itself). In conclusion, we discuss the popularity of social experimentation in contemporary American society in relation to: 1) the human need to explore and grow; 2) the opportunities afforded by modem society; and 3) the conflicts between various interest groups in society.

Date: 1985
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002076408503100102 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:31:y:1985:i:1:p:13-22

DOI: 10.1177/002076408503100102

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in International Journal of Social Psychiatry
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().