Why Interpersonal Ties Are Important for People
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2015 Why Interpersonal Ties are Important for People: An Analysis of the Concept of Social Capital and Its Dimensions of Holism, Convertibility, and Conductibility Durmus Ali Yuksek Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Yuksek, Durmus Ali, "Why Interpersonal Ties are Important for People: An Analysis of the Concept of Social Capital and Its Dimensions of Holism, Convertibility, and Conductibility" (2015). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 166. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/166 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. WHY INTERPERSONAL TIES ARE IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ITS DIMENSIONS OF HOLISM, CONVERTIBILITY, AND CONDUCTIBILITY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Sociology by Durmus Ali Yuksek B.S., Turkish Military Academy, 2007 M.A., Louisiana State University, 2013 August 2015 Acknowledgements The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the support, encouragement, and guidance of many people to whom I am greatly indebted. I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Yoshinori Kamo, for his invaluable guidance and direction throughout this process and throughout my time at LSU. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Susan A. Dumais, Dr. Troy C. Blanchard, and Dr. Mary J. Brody for all of the advice and guidance that they have given me over the years. I would like to thank my friends at LSU who have been very helpful and encouraging throughout this long journey. I appreciate all of their support and understanding. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Tugba, who has always supported and believed in me no matter how long it took for me to achieve this goal. Your love and support have been immeasurably important. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... vi Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 – A Holistic Approach to Social Capital: Synthesizing the Works of Lin, Putnam, Granovetter, Portes, Martin, and Kadushin ........................................................................................................................ 6 2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2. Social Capital Defined ....................................................................................................................... 7 2.3. Interaction and Action: A Different Approach to Social Capital ....................................................... 10 2.4. Diffusion of Resources and Information in Different Settings: The Inclusion of the S-Shaped Diffusion Curve to the Current Discussion .............................................................................................. 22 2.5. Applicability of the Holistic Approach ............................................................................................... 35 2.6. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 38 Chapter 3 – Evaluating the Importance of Social Capital for the Conversion of the Forms of Capital: A Critical Approach to the Bourdieusian Model .............................................................................................. 40 3.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 40 3.2. Bourdieu and The Forms of Capital ................................................................................................. 41 3.3. Conversions of the Forms of Capital ............................................................................................... 49 3.4. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter 4 – Information Diffusion through Functional Bridges: A Critical Approach to the ―Strength of Weak Ties‖ Theory on the Diffusion of Cultural Information ....................................................................... 70 4.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 70 4.2. Literature Review and Conceptual Framework ............................................................................... 72 4.3. Data and Measures ....................................................................................................................... 101 4.4. Results ........................................................................................................................................... 106 4.5. Discussion and Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 116 Chapter 5 – Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 126 References ................................................................................................................................................ 128 iii Appendix – The Ordered Logit Estimates of Popular Cultural Information Obtained, High Cultural Information Obtained, Omnivorous Cultural Information Obtained, and Job Information Obtained ........ 134 Vita ............................................................................................................................................................ 138 iv List of Tables Table 2.1 Lin‘s Predictions of Effort and Return for Action and Interaction ................................................ 18 Table 2.2 Predictions of Effort and Return for Action and Interaction with the Type of Social Capital While Considering the Tie that Connects the Actors ............................................................................................ 19 Table 2.3 Predictions of Effort and Return for Action and Interaction with the Type of Social Capital While Considering the Tie that Connects the Actors in Chaotic Settings ............................................................. 34 Table 4.1 Descriptive Statistics ................................................................................................................. 105 Table 4.2 Multiple Regression Estimates of Popular Cultural Information Obtained ................................ 107 Table 4.3 Multiple Regression Estimates of High Cultural Information Obtained ..................................... 110 Table 4.4 Multiple Regression of Omnivorous Cultural Information Obtained .......................................... 112 Table 4.5 Multiple Regression Estimates of the FLI Proposition .............................................................. 114 Table A.1 Ordered Logit Estimates of Popular Cultural Information Obtained ......................................... 134 Table A.2 Ordered Logit Estimates of High Cultural Information Obtained .............................................. 135 Table A.3 Ordered Logit Estimates of Omnivorous Cultural Information Obtained .................................. 136 Table A.4 Ordered Logit Estimates of the FLI Proposition ....................................................................... 137 v List of Figures Figure 2.1 Homophilous and Heterophilous Interactions ............................................................................ 13 Figure 2.2 An Application of Negative Social Capital, Bonding Social Capital, Bridging Social Capital, and Linking Social Capital with Homophilous and Heterophilous Interactions .................................................. 21 Figure 2.3 Classic S or Sigmoid Growth Curve .......................................................................................... 30 Figure 2.4 Classic S Growth Curve with Five Major Periods ...................................................................... 31 Figure 3.1 The Basic Model of Conversions Among the Forms of Capital ................................................. 50 Figure