BOOK REVIEWS 6

Abstract

The analytical models reflect Turner's insurpassable skills for distilling the important, recognizing useful distinctions, and conceptualizing hidden conver-gences. The reader, however, must recognize that Turner presents simplified versions of the underlying intellectual traditions and that his own background may color his presentations. These models are primarily devices to connect various concepts. The propositions explaining, not simply describing, the existence of these connections are not always explicit in the text. Furthermore, the models and their explications focus on "main effects" and thus omit consideration of how two concepts within the model may interact. When Turner synthesizes these models, his "tentative" theory of social interaction emerges. His derivation of conceptual hypotheses pertaining to the relations among the three processes gives rise to two major questions. The first, most critical to the development of knowledge, is: Are the hypotheses testable? Because of the "sensitizing" nature of some of the conceptual building blocks, it may be difficult to formulate empirical tests. The second question regards the extent of existing empirical confirmation for the propositions drawn from the reviewed theoretical traditions. The omission of empirical citations is worrisome insofar as, if already tested, only confirmed propositions should constitute an integrated theory of social interaction and, if the propositions have existed but have not been tested, concerns with testability again emerge. Turner presents his theory at a very abstract level and leaves the testing to others. While his proposed division of labor between theorists and researchers attenuates criticisms of the testability of his theory, the researcher must nonetheless struggle with keeping a wide variety of conceptual definitions and distinctions clear in order to ensure understanding. Turner might have made this process easier by providing, in addition to theoretical propositions, some concrete examples of interaction to illustrate his analytical models. These questions of the extent of simplification and potential distortion, and of testability and application should give rise to spirited intellectual discourse and creative empirical investigation.