
From A Private Nature Walk To An Engrossing Novel, Humans Spend A Vast Amount Of Time Engaged In Solitary Activities. However, Despite The Fact That Individual Activities Are A Prevalent Part Of Everyday Life, Most Scholarly Research Has Been Devoted To Social Interaction Rather Than Solitary Action. Ira Cohen's Solitary Action Fills This Intellectual Void, Identifying And Discussing Four Basic Forms Of Individual Action: Peripatetics, Engrossments, Regimens, And Reflexives. Cohen Explores The Differences And Similarities Among The Forms, Specifically Delving Into The Structural Contrast Between Behaviors With Rigid Constraints, Such As The Game Of Solitaire, And Behaviors Which Require Creativity And Spontaneity, Such As A Solo Jazz Improvisation. Lucid And Relatable, Solitary Action Links Its Arguments With Examples From Literature, Personal Narrative, And Daily Life, Shedding Light Upon The Understated Significance Of Individual Activities. The Book Concludes With A Discussion Of Extensive Retreats Into Solitude For Religious, Aesthetic, And Self-restorative Experiences, Including Examples From Thomas Merton And Henry David Thoreau. Ultimately, Cohen's Findings Promise To Inspire New Inquiries Into The Nature Of Social Behavior By Opening A New Domain Of Everyday Activities To The Attention Previously Reserved For Social Interaction.
This book investigates the neglected domain of solitary human activity to determine how individual behaviors function and influence our understanding of social life. Ira J. Cohen, a scholar of social theory, utilizes a framework of four distinct categories of individual action to analyze how people engage with the world when alone. By contrasting rigid, rule-bound activities with spontaneous, creative pursuits, he argues that solitary action is as significant to human development as social interaction.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for scholars seeking to balance the sociological focus on social interaction with the study of individual behavior. Readers frequently note the clarity of the prose and the effectiveness of the author's use of examples from figures like Thoreau and Merton to ground abstract concepts.
Page Count:
248
Publication Date:
2015-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190258586
ISBN-13:
9780190258580
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