Abstract
Seymour B. Sarason’s innovative ideas have influenced much of my work. These same ideas—in particular, his concepts of social settings, behavioral and programmatic regularities, and the universe of alternatives—also serve as the foundation for an action science of social settings. Questions regarding theory, measurement, intervention, and research design and data analysis are central to the development of this action science, and there have been recent innovations in each of these areas. However, future challenges remain for the field. We must continue to move forward to advance an action science of social settings and make a real difference in people’s lives.
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Notes
Once again, Seymour’s not so invisible hand was working its magic. I called Seymour to ask him what he knew about an advertised position at Bank Street College. At the end of the conversation, he suggested I send him my CV and that he would send it to them with a cover letter. Within 24 hours of their receipt of his letter, they called me and asked me to come for a visit as soon as possible.
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Acknowledgments
This article is an expansion of the address “Excavating and restructuring the regularities of social settings,” which I delivered upon my acceptance of the 2009 Seymour B. Sarason Award for Community Research and Action at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention (San Diego, CA; August 2010). I am indebted to Larry Aber, Joseph Allen, Howard Bloom, Marc Brackett, Joshua Brown, Bob Granger, Charles Glisson, Patricia Gurin, David Henry, Stephanie Jones, Wayne Osgood, Julian Rappaport, Tracey Revenson, Vivian Tseng, Rhona Weinstein, and Nicole Yohalem for their constructive and insightful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript as well as to Krishna Knabe for helping me tell a better story. I am also enormously grateful to the many colleagues and former students who have enriched my thinking over the years.
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Seidman, E. An Emerging Action Science of Social Settings. Am J Community Psychol 50, 1–16 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-011-9469-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-011-9469-3