Patricia R. Barchas

An alternative perspective on sex differences in organizational settings: The process of legitimation.

This article takes a sociological approach to a problem that has usually been considered as a psychological phenomenon. It addresses the problem of male—female interactions in work situations utilizing the organizational concepts of division of labor and legitimacy. Traditional explanations evoking sex-role socialization are reviewed and rejected for purposes of experimentation and intervention. An alternative argument, focusing on the structural arrangements of organizational settings, is presented as an explanation for behavioral effects previously attributed to inherent sex differences. The results of a pilot study are briefly described, and directions for further experimentation and possible intervention strategies are suggested.

Behavioral processes leading to linear status hierarchies following group formation in rhesus monkeys

Agonistic interactions during the first 45 minutes following formation of three member groups of rhesus macaques were examined in order to determine whether behavioral processes exist which ensure the eventual formation of linear dominance hierarchies. The results indicate that resolution of status relationships between at least two of the possible three dyads are achieved rapidly. The temporal order in which the first two dyadic status resolutions are achieved proceed in a manner which guarantees a linear hierarchy regardless of the direction of dominance-subordinance in the third dyad. These data are at variance with notions that status hierarchies are formed through prolonged periods of dominance contests or aggressive struggles. Furthermore, the findings suggest that at least one aspect of social organization characteristic of this species plays a major role in determining the nature of dyadic relationships formed.

Social cohesion : essays toward a sociophysiological perspective

Social cohesion is the outcome of the social and physiological processes through which individuals become linked into social systems. These linkages, as they occur in social relationships and are found in small group interactions, are the common focus of this collection of essays. The volume begins with an exploration of social relationships as regulators of physiology and behavior. Other essays investigate issues such as dominance, ideological constraints on evolutionary theory, social cohesion in dyadic groups, social relationships as determinants of emotion and physiology, biosociology and stratification in the works of Emile Durkheim, and the phenomenon of hemispheric lateralization of function in relation to social comparison processes and social roles.

Opioid peptides as neuroregulators: Potential areas for the study of genetic-behavioral mechanisms

The opioid peptides have been related to behavior in both animal and human studies. Further investigation can be anticipated which could lead to the elucidation of genetic controls over enzymes which process these peptides and the receptors upon which the peptides act. The enzymes, both synthetic and degradative, can lead to the formation of different forms of the opiate peptides. Differential control of these enzymes or of the multiple forms of opiate receptors could lead to discrete changes in opiate status and subsequent behavioral changes. Conversely, genetically regulated behavioral modification could also lead secondarily to opiate changes.

Sociophysiology 25 years ago: early perspectives of an emerging discipline now part of social neuroscience

Sociophysiology was a term used early in the history of sociology and then again 25 years ago to describe interactions between the “social” and the “biological” worlds. Social scientists had largely viewed biology and the brain as a “black box” that was not an active aspect of their work or theories. A landmark, unpublished conference in 1986 brought together social scientists and biologists dedicated to the idea that bringing sociological conceptualizations and approaches together with those of physiology might create new ways to understand human behavior. The umbrella question for sociophysiology was dual: how do social processes impact the physiology of the organism, and how does that altered physiology affect future social behavior? This paper summarizes that conference with the goal of providing a glimpse into the early history of social neuroscience and to demonstrate the variety of individuals and interests that were present at the emergence of this new field. The late Patricia R. Barchas organized and chaired the conference.