Individuals form social events by combining cultural elements. Click the
buttons below to see cultural elements that fit into each component of a social
event, as treated by Affect Control Theory. (The cultural elements in this
example all relate to family life.)
Event Syntax
Social events do more than just associate actors and
object persons.
A behavior is directed from actor to object, so it makes a
difference who is actor and who is object.
Sometimes actor-object assignments are open to interpretation.
For example, John kissed Mary and Mary kissed John
could be two ways of looking at exactly the same event. Individuals usually
prefer interpretations in which they themselves are the actors rather than
objects of others' actions, because object persons seem weak and vulnerable.
Social events relate to these core ideas in Affect Control
Theory.
Discerning a social event changes individuals' feelings about the elements
in the event through a process of impression formation.
Impressions of individuals translate into expectations about the emotions
that the individuals should be feeling.
Individuals construct events to confirm or restore their feelings about
the cultural elements that are salient in the situation.
Social roles emerge as individuals construct events to confirm their
salient social identities in the situation.
