Sociological theory lacks a mechanism explaining why actors act.

Evidence

The sociological stream has what may be a fatal flaw as a theoretical enterprise: the actor has no “engine of action.” The actor is shaped by the environment, but — Coleman, SocialCapitalCreation-1988, 18

Categorization

• DEFINE: “Engine of action” is Coleman’s key metaphor for what the sociological model is missing.
• XREF: connects to: Sociology treats psychological processes only as carriers of social forms — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 208

Related

• Sociology and economics rest on opposite models of the actor. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Sociology treats psychological processes only as carriers of social forms #expands (0.80) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 208