Publisher Description

Responsibility and accountability are the issues at the heart of this book. An account episode, according to Professor Schönbach's conception, is a four-phase interaction between an actor and an opponent. Account episodes occur in many different social settings; they are societal means for the resolution or diminution of conflicts engendered by failure events. Frequently, however, such episodes do not accomplish this goal but promote an escalation of the original conflict. The basic questions addressed in this book are under what circumstances an account episode is likely to be successful, and under which other conditions it is likely to founder. Ten studies of interchanges between actor and opponent, based on Schönbach's escalation theory, reveal fascinating interactions between actor and opponent, between severity of reproach, defensiveness of accounts, needs for control of the participants and their gender in determining the course of account episodes.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Part I. The Task: 1. Demands for accountability; 2. The structure of account episodes; 3. Functions of account episodes; 4. Basic questions and some specifications; 5. Fundamental obstacle, multiple approximations; Part II. Theoretical Guidance: 1. Basic control-theoretical assumptions; 2. A network of escalation; 3. Supplementary speculations; Part III. Study Designs and Procedures: 1. Common design features; 2. Vignettes of failure events; 3. Reproach phase studies; 4. Account phase studies; 5. Evaluation phase studies; 6. Studies on the meaning of responsibility; Part IV. Category Systems and Codings: 1. Reasons, problems and strategies of category constructions; 2. A taxonomy for reactions of actors during account phases; 3. A taxonomy for reactions of opponents during phases of reproach and evaluation; Part V. Reproach Phase Results: 1. Effects of severity of failure of reproach; 2. Effects of gender on severity of reproach; 3. The meaning of responsibility for men and women - and excursus; 4. Control needs and severity of reproach; Part VI. Account Phase Results: 1. Effects of reproach on defensiveness of accounts; 2. Effects of gender on defensiveness of accounts; 3. Sense of control, self-esteem and defensiveness of accounts; 4. Severity of failure and defensiveness of accounts; Part VII. Evaluation Phase Results: 1. Defensiveness of accounts and negativity of evaluation; 2. Effects of gender on negativity of evaluation; 2. Effects of gender on negativity and evaluation; 3. Sense of control, self-esteem and negativity of evaluation; 4. Severity of reproach and negativity of evaluation; Part VIII. Inferences: 1. Synopsis; 2. Transphase perspectives; 3. Tasks for the future; Appendices; notes; References; Name index; Subject index.

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An investigation into responsibility and accountability in account episodes, and into the circumstances under which these episodes are successful or unsuccessful.

Promotional "Headline"

An investigation into responsibility and accountability in account episodes, and into the circumstances under which these episodes are successful or unsuccessful.

Description for Bookstore

Responsibility and accountability are the issues at the heart of this book. An account episode is a four-phase interaction between an actor and an opponent. The basic questions addressed are under what circumstances an account episode is likely to be successful, and under which other conditions it is likely to founder.

Description for Library

Responsibility and accountability are the issues at the heart of this book. An account episode is a four-phase interaction between an actor and an opponent. The basic questions addressed are under what circumstances an account episode is likely to be successful, and under which other conditions it is likely to founder.

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