Clarity And Confusion In Social Theory

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Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory

Author : Leonidas Tsilipakos
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317165349
Total Pages : 186 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (171 download)

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Book Synopsis Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory by : Leonidas Tsilipakos

Download or read book Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory written by Leonidas Tsilipakos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-23 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Departing from a concern with certain ’hard’ problems in social theory and focusing instead on the theoretical strategies employed in their solution, especially on how these strategies depend on what the author calls the theoretical attitude towards language, this book considers whether these strategies, far from being indispensable guides to thinking, might in fact lead social theorists to misunderstand the concepts constitutive of social life. Making use of the insights and practice of Ordinary Language Philosophy, understood as encompassing the work of Wittgenstein, Ryle, Austin and their followers, Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory reveals the profound logical flaws in some of the central methodological procedures often employed in social theory for dealing with concepts, offering alternative approaches to social scientists and philosophers for tackling the conceptual issues that have so bedevilled social science from its inception. A lucid explication of Ordinary Language Philosophy and the potential that it offers for deepening and re-orienting theoretical work in the social sciences, this volume, apart from being a challenge to the influential Critical Realist paradigm, constitutes a radical critique of social theoretical reason. As such, it will appeal to social theorists and philosophers of social science, those with interests in research methods and theory construction, and anyone interested in thinking clearly about society.

Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory

Author : Leonidas Tsilipakos
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317165330
Total Pages : 301 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (171 download)

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Book Synopsis Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory by : Leonidas Tsilipakos

Download or read book Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory written by Leonidas Tsilipakos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-23 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Departing from a concern with certain ’hard’ problems in social theory and focusing instead on the theoretical strategies employed in their solution, especially on how these strategies depend on what the author calls the theoretical attitude towards language, this book considers whether these strategies, far from being indispensable guides to thinking, might in fact lead social theorists to misunderstand the concepts constitutive of social life. Making use of the insights and practice of Ordinary Language Philosophy, understood as encompassing the work of Wittgenstein, Ryle, Austin and their followers, Clarity and Confusion in Social Theory reveals the profound logical flaws in some of the central methodological procedures often employed in social theory for dealing with concepts, offering alternative approaches to social scientists and philosophers for tackling the conceptual issues that have so bedevilled social science from its inception. A lucid explication of Ordinary Language Philosophy and the potential that it offers for deepening and re-orienting theoretical work in the social sciences, this volume, apart from being a challenge to the influential Critical Realist paradigm, constitutes a radical critique of social theoretical reason. As such, it will appeal to social theorists and philosophers of social science, those with interests in research methods and theory construction, and anyone interested in thinking clearly about society.

Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences

Author : Robert Vinten
Publisher : Anthem Press
ISBN 13 : 1785273124
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (852 download)

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Book Synopsis Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences by : Robert Vinten

Download or read book Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences written by Robert Vinten and published by Anthem Press. This book was released on 2020-07-27 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences, Robert Vinten takes a fresh look at the relationship between Wittgenstein’s philosophy and the social sciences. He argues that although social sciences are quite different to the natural sciences, they are nonetheless properly called ‘sciences’. The book looks in detail at whether Wittgenstein can be claimed by conservatives, liberals, or socialists as their own. Wittgenstein’s philosophical remarks and remarks about politics and culture are taken into account in deciding where to locate Wittgenstein in relation to various ideologies. In the final part of the book, Vinten considers how Wittgenstein’s philosophy can be of use in resolving or dissolving problems in the social sciences. Along the way, he critically assesses work from Perry Anderson, Terry Eagleton, Richard Rorty, and Chantal Mouffe in the light of Wittgenstein’s philosophical oeuvre. The book makes a compelling examination of how Wittgenstein’s work remains as relevant as ever to thinking about our cultural and political situation.

Introduction to Contemporary Social Theory

Author : Anthony Elliott
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136237372
Total Pages : 381 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (362 download)

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Book Synopsis Introduction to Contemporary Social Theory by : Anthony Elliott

Download or read book Introduction to Contemporary Social Theory written by Anthony Elliott and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-10 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this comprehensive, stylish and accessible introduction to contemporary social theory, Anthony Elliott and Charles Lemert examine the major theoretical traditions from the Frankfurt School to globalization and beyond. When first published, the book’s wide range set new standards for introductory textbooks – social theorists discussed include Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, Michel Foucault, Jacques Lacan, Jacques Derrida, Anthony Giddens, Pierre Bourdieu, Julia Kristeva, Jurgen Habermas, Judith Butler, Slavoj Zizek, Manuel Castells, Ulrich Beck, Zygmunt Bauman, Giorgio Agamben and Manuel De Landa. Extensively developed to take into account significant recent developments in American social theory, the book offers chapters on American pragmatism, structural functionalism, ethnomethodology, black feminist thought and world-systems theory. American traditions of social theory are brought powerfully to life in treatments of intellectuals ranging from William James to Robert K. Merton, David Riesman to Randall Collins, and Patricia Hill Collins to Saskia Sassen. Introduction to Contemporary Social Theory combines lively exposition and clarity with reflective social critique and original insights, and is a superb textbook with which to navigate the twists and turns of contemporary social theory as taught in the disciplines of sociology, politics, history, cultural studies and many more.

The Scope of Understanding in Sociology (RLE Social Theory)

Author : Werner Pelz
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317648447
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (176 download)

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Book Synopsis The Scope of Understanding in Sociology (RLE Social Theory) by : Werner Pelz

Download or read book The Scope of Understanding in Sociology (RLE Social Theory) written by Werner Pelz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-13 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In their efforts to emulate the methodology which had proved so successful in the natural sciences, the social sciences – including sociology – have not yet faced the question as to what constitutes understanding in their area with sufficient seriousness. This book asks again: what does understanding denote in an area where man tries to understand man, where self-understanding is involved, where new understanding immediately becomes part of that which is to be understood? What can we know and what is the use and limitation of knowledge in sociology? When are we conscious that we know and understand? Werner Pelz argues for a thorough reorientation in our approach to sociological thinking, and suggests that scientistic preconceptions have often precluded possibly fruitful approaches to humane understanding. He investigates the relations between various kinds of knowing, and examines the new possibilities of understanding made available, for example, by psychoanalytical and phenomenological insights, as well as by those of poets, artists, mystics. He shows that in the social and humanistic sciences, creative or constitutive contributions illuminate rather than demonstrate, and that, for this reason, sociology has not yet found an appropriate method for conveying them without serious distortions.

Social Theory

Author : Alex Callinicos
Publisher : Polity
ISBN 13 : 9780745638393
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (383 download)

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Book Synopsis Social Theory by : Alex Callinicos

Download or read book Social Theory written by Alex Callinicos and published by Polity. This book was released on 2007-04-09 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of this remarkably lucid text, provides a wide-ranging historical introduction to social theory. The new edition preserves, and further enhances, the book's striking qualities - its clarity, reliability, comprehensiveness and scholarship. The theorists treated include Montesquieu, Adam Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment, Hegel, Marx, Tocqueville, Maistre, Gobineau, Darwin, Spencer, Kautsky, Nietzsche, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Freud, Lukacs, Gramsci, Heidegger, Keynes, Hayek, Parsons, the Frankfurt School, Levi-Strauss, Althusser, Foucault, Habermas, Bourdieu, Beck, and Giddens. Callinicos examines the ways in which social theory grew out of the eighteenth century Enlightenment, a time when societies emerging in the West ceased to invoke the authority of tradition to validate themselves, instead looking to scientific knowledge to justify their mastery of the world. He traces social theory's connections with central themes in modern philosophy, with the development of political economy, and with the impact of evolutionary biology on social thought. The book has been carefully updated to ensure that it engages with the most up-to-date debates in social theory, and concludes with a substantial new chapter. Here Callinicos assesses the significance of contemporary debates about globalization, including the recent re-emergence of critiques of capitalism and imperialism in the work of Michael Hardt, Toni Negri, Luc Boltanski, Eve Chiapello, David Harvey, Robert Brenner, Giovanni Arrighi, and Slavoj Zizek. This updated version of a widely praised text will be essential reading for students of politics, sociology and social and political thought.

Introducing Social Theory

Author : Pip Jones
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0745698956
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (456 download)

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Book Synopsis Introducing Social Theory by : Pip Jones

Download or read book Introducing Social Theory written by Pip Jones and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-10-02 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revised edition of Pip Jones's extremely popular introduction to social theory, now benefiting from the collaboration of Shaun Le Boutillier and Liz Bradbury, has been carefully and thoroughly updated with the latest developments in this continually changing field. Written in a refreshingly lucid and engaging style, Introducing Social Theory provides readers with a wide-ranging, well organized and thematic introduction to all the major thinkers, issues and debates in classical and contemporary social theory. Introducing Social Theory traces the development of social theorizing from the classical ideas about modernity of Durkheim, Marx and Weber, right up to a uniquely accessible review of contemporary theoretical controversies in sociology surrounding post-modernity and reflexive sociology. With great clarity, the authors explain the ideas of seminal thinkers such as Foucault, Bauman, Habermas, Beck, Bourdieu and Giddens, as well as paying increased attention to other important contributions from theorists such as Margaret Archer, Fredric Jameson and George Ritzer. Introducing Social Theory is the ideal textbook for students at all levels taking courses in sociology, from A-level students to undergraduates, who are looking to engage with social theory. Remarkably easy to follow and understand, the new edition lives up to its predecessor's goal that students need never be intimidated by social theory again.

Contested Knowledge

Author : Steven Seidman
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119167620
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (191 download)

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Book Synopsis Contested Knowledge by : Steven Seidman

Download or read book Contested Knowledge written by Steven Seidman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-09-13 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the sixth edition of Contested Knowledge, social theorist Steven Seidman presents the latest topics in social theory and addresses the current shift of 'universalist theorists' to networks of clustered debates. Responds to current issues, debates, and new social movements Reviews sociological theory from a contemporary perspective Reveals how the universal theorist and the era of rival schools has been replaced by networks of clustered debates that are relatively 'autonomous' and interdisciplinary Features updates and in-depth discussions of the newest clustered debates in social theory—intimacy, postcolonial nationalism, and the concept of 'the other' Challenges social scientists to renew their commitment to the important moral and political role social knowledge plays in public life

Social Imaginary and the Metaphysical Discourse

Author : Christoforos Bouzanis
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 0429574789
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (295 download)

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Book Synopsis Social Imaginary and the Metaphysical Discourse by : Christoforos Bouzanis

Download or read book Social Imaginary and the Metaphysical Discourse written by Christoforos Bouzanis and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-05-05 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book departs from approaches to truth in social science and ideas in philosophy that connect truth to the ability of language to fulfil certain ‘real-world’ conditions of objectivity. Pointing to an extra-linguistic level in our cognition at which scientific creativity occurs, it highlights the manner in which epistemic communities share, work on and modify not only the world-imaginaries that they endorse, but also those world-views that they reject or which partially overlap with their own. Through the concept of the social imaginary, the author explores the theoretical interrelations among various metaphysical world-imageries by which we organise our scientific understanding of the world and our expectations of experience, thus shedding light on the manner in which social ontology can inform our practices of sharing belief. A study at the intersection of metaphysics and social theory, The Fundamental Predicament of Contemporary Philosophy and the Social Sciences will appeal to scholars of sociology and philosophy with interests in questions of ontology and epistemology.

Sociological Theory

Author : Nicos P. Mouzelis
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 9780415076944
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (769 download)

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Book Synopsis Sociological Theory by : Nicos P. Mouzelis

Download or read book Sociological Theory written by Nicos P. Mouzelis and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 1995 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social theory is open to many passing currents. Claims to originality tend to thrive and past achievements are often ignored. In Sociologiocal Theory: What Went Wrong? Mouzelis claims that "problems" currently being isolated are not really problems, and that "achievements" claimed are little more than pretensions. He argues that we have been premature to dismiss thinkers from the late 1950s and early 1960s and that we can build on their ideas to produce a more effective, more relevant social theory. Written with precision and with clarity, Sociological Theory: What Went Wrong? is a compelling analysis of the central problems of sociological theory today and of the means to resolve them.

The Social Theory of Georg Simmel

Author : Nicholas J. Spykman
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351473794
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (514 download)

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Book Synopsis The Social Theory of Georg Simmel by : Nicholas J. Spykman

Download or read book The Social Theory of Georg Simmel written by Nicholas J. Spykman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-29 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary sociology increasingly seems to be adopting a perspective similar to that on which Georg Simmel's analysis and interpretations rested. To a significant degree, therefore, sociologists continue to turn to Simmel for a basic understanding of the forms and processes of social life. Nicholas Spykman's The Social Theory of Georg Simmel, originally published in 1925, was the first comprehensive account of Simmel's ideas. It remains a most valuable summary of the major elements of his thought.Spykman wrote this study for a specific purpose: to indicate Simmel's conception of the relations between different fields of theoretic inquiry into socio-historical actuality; to make Simmel's contributions to the methodology of the social sciences understood; and to illustrate Simmel's conception of sociology as a science. He shows that Simmel was primarily a social philosopher interested in a functional understanding of socio-historical realities, art and economic values, morals and aesthetics, religion, and the function of money. Spykman identifies three major phases in the development of Simmel's thought: the first is primarily occupied with methodology and the presuppositions of the social sciences; during the second he wrote several essays containing philosophic interpretations of modern civilization; and the third culminated in his metaphysics of culture.The Social Theory of Georg Simmel, graced with a new introduction by David Frisby, one of the foremost contemporary Simmel experts, is an outstandingly organized, coherent presentation of the complex and subtle ideas of one of the intellectual giants of modern sociology.

Explorations in Social Theory

Author : George Ritzer
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (12 download)

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Book Synopsis Explorations in Social Theory by : George Ritzer

Download or read book Explorations in Social Theory written by George Ritzer and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Using Social Theory

Author : Michael Pryke
Publisher : SAGE
ISBN 13 : 1847876684
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (478 download)

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Book Synopsis Using Social Theory by : Michael Pryke

Download or read book Using Social Theory written by Michael Pryke and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2003-08-13 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: `If there is a single question that presses upon the intellect of the current generation of social scientists, it is surely: "what do the great insights of social theory imply for the way we conduct research and write about the social world?". Until now there has been no single text to turn to that explores the epistemological complexities of field work, the problems of writing and language, and of the logics of inquiry that link theory, method and evidence. Using Social Theory is a magisterial effort to open up the black-box of research methods, and to provide students, in a way that no other comparable text has done, with a road map for the practice of the contemporary human sciences′ - Michael Watts, Chancellor′s Professor of Geography and Director Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley `From "theory talk to making it walk", Using Social Theory is one of the most useful and interesting books on the market. The authors demonstrate how to use philosophy and social theory as an indispensable toolkit for passionate and rigorous research. Essential reading for students and teachers in the social sciences and humanities′ - Professor Elspeth Probyn, Department of Gender Studies, University of Sydney Have you ever stopped to wonder about the influences that underpin research? If you are thinking about doing a piece of research, what difference might it make to the question you ask, to your approach to empirical work, analysis and writing of research, if you are influenced by one theoretical approach rather than another? The chapters in this innovative guide share a common belief that thinking alongside ideas, philosophical persuasions, is an integral part of the research process; it is not an optional extra. It sets out ways to encourage the researcher to think through three key moments of the research process: the production of a research question; fieldwork; and analysis and writing. As the authors demonstrate, research is not simply `done′: it has to be thought about and thought through. The book′s accessible style makes it suitable for anyone wishing to engage ideas in research in the social sciences and humanities.

The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy, 4 Volume Set

Author : Jefferson D. Pooley
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118290739
Total Pages : 2323 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (182 download)

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Book Synopsis The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy, 4 Volume Set by : Jefferson D. Pooley

Download or read book The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy, 4 Volume Set written by Jefferson D. Pooley and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-10-31 with total page 2323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy is the definitive single-source reference work on the subject, with state-of-the-art and in-depth scholarly reflection on key issues from leading international experts. It is available both online and in print. A state-of-the-art and in-depth scholarly reflection on the key issues raised by communication, covering the history, systematics, and practical potential of communication theory Articles by leading experts offer an unprecedented level of accuracy and balance Provides comprehensive, clear entries which are both cross-national and cross-disciplinary in nature The Encyclopedia presents a truly international perspective with authors and positions representing not just Europe and North America, but also Latin America and Asia Published both online and in print Part of The Wiley Blackwell-ICA International Encyclopedias of Communication series, published in conjunction with the International Communication Association. Online version available at www.wileyicaencyclopedia.com

Theory for the Working Sociologist

Author : Fabio Rojas
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231543697
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Theory for the Working Sociologist by : Fabio Rojas

Download or read book Theory for the Working Sociologist written by Fabio Rojas and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theory for the Working Sociologist makes social theory easy to understand by revealing sociology's hidden playbook. Fabio Rojas argues that sociologists use four different theoretical "moves" when they try to explain the social world: how groups defend their status, how people strategically pursue their goals, how values and institutions support each other, and how people create their social reality. Rojas uses famous sociological studies to illustrate these four types of theory and show how students and researchers may apply them to their interests. The guiding light of the book is the concept of the "social mechanism," which clearly and succinctly links causes and effects in social life. Drawing on dozens of empirical studies that define modern sociology and focusing on the nuts and bolts of social explanation, Rojas reveals how areas of study within the field of sociology that at first glance seem dissimilar are, in fact, linked by shared theoretical underpinnings. In doing so, he elucidates classical and contemporary theory, and connects both to essential sociological findings made throughout the history of the field. Aimed at undergraduate students, graduate students, journalists, and interested general readers who want a more formal way to understand social life, Theory for the Working Sociologist presents the underlying themes of sociological thought using contemporary research and plain language.

Functionalism, Exchange and Theoretical Strategy (RLE Social Theory)

Author : Michael Mulkay
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317651839
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (176 download)

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Book Synopsis Functionalism, Exchange and Theoretical Strategy (RLE Social Theory) by : Michael Mulkay

Download or read book Functionalism, Exchange and Theoretical Strategy (RLE Social Theory) written by Michael Mulkay and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-13 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: M.J. Mulkay traces the development of certain recent versions of functionalism and exchange theory in sociology, with special attention to 'theoretical strategy'. He uses this term to refer to the policies which theorists adopt to ensure that their work contributes to their long range theoretical objectives. Such strategies are important, he believes, because they place limits on the theories with which they are associated. He shows how each of the theorists he studies devised a new strategy to replace the unsuccessful policies of a prior theory in a process of 'strategical dialectic'. This often has unforeseen consequences for the direction of theoretical growth, and the author interprets changes in theoretical perspective largely as products of these strategical innovations.

Voices from Prison

Author : Komanduri Srinivasa Murty
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Voices from Prison by : Komanduri Srinivasa Murty

Download or read book Voices from Prison written by Komanduri Srinivasa Murty and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study, the authors examine the life histories of black male prisoners in the U.S. Federal Prison system, to determine what patterns of behavior or life experiences influenced or precipitated their involvement in criminal behavior. The authors use pre-sentence investigation reports and interviews to provide readers with detailed descriptions of prisoner characteristics.