The Strategic Role of the Emotions

Rational choice theorists have often criticized the modern sociologist's tendency to view people as mere pawns of social forces. For their part, many sociologists regard rational choice theories as profoundly undersocialized accounts of human behavior. In this article, an attempt is made to move these two groups a step closer together by means of a theory of the strategic role of the emotions. In methodological terms, it is an individualistic theory, yet its conclusions help explain why sociologists are often correct to insist that the interests of individuals are often subordinated to the interests of groups.