COLEMAN'S PROCESS APPROACH

This chapter deals with a niumber of social-process models developed and presented by James Coleman in Introduction to Mlathematical Sociology (1964a). However, it is intended neither as a direct general summary of these models, nor as a comprehensive introduction to them. Its purpose is to review the models in generic terms, that is, to present and inspect them as a family or type and to discuss briefly what appear to be their major characteristics and functions. AIn important aim is to arrive at some assessment, however limited, of their nature, relevance, and scope.