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Microsociologies: Social Exchange, Trust, Justice, and Legitimacy

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Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

In this chapter I examine contemporary theoretical frameworks that address four micro-level social comparison processes: social exchange, trust, justice, and legitimacy. I first review the basic elements of each process, as defined by scholars who work in their respective research traditions. I then describe theories that have emerged over the past decades that address how each process operates for individuals in social interactions, groups, and in greater society. I then review relevant empirical research that has furthered our understanding of each process. Finally, I discuss interrelations among exchange, trust, justice, and legitimacy and survey recent research that examines how these processes operate together during social interactions.

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  1. Sociology Department, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA

    Michael J. Carter

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  1. Department of Sociology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

    Seth Abrutyn

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Carter, M.J. (2016). Microsociologies: Social Exchange, Trust, Justice, and Legitimacy. In: Abrutyn, S. (eds) Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32250-6_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32250-6_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-61601-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32250-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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