THE THEORY OF HEROIC DEFEATS - A MIXED MOTIVATION APPROACH

The category of heroic action is important in both everyday life and t he wider social context. This article argues that interest in the noti on of heroic actions and heroic defeats also brings out an important s et of sociological problems, such as disagreements on identity, norms, and rational choice explanations. Illustrations are provided from rec ent analyses of union militancy in Britain and Italy and of the studen t movement in Beijing. Different versions of the critique of rational choice theory often take norm-guided action as a point of departure. A nother version of this critique is represented by theories of new soci al movements and identity maintenance. The article suggests that ratio nal choice theory is more useful than some of its opponents would have it; yet the general argument favors a mired motivation approach. The discussion points out some of the strengths and limitations of differe nt explanatory perspectives, and some of the links between them.