Male drinking and drunkenness in Middletown.

Abstract

Based on anthropological evidence, MacAndrews and Edgerton state that drunken comportment consists of "time-out" behaviors, subject to the norms of drinking groups, the rewards of such socially licensed behaviors comprising the drinking motive. This perspective was applied to working-class bars in Middletown, Indiana. Although there was a wide range of behavior by bar, drinker category, and the number of drinks consumed, observed patterns suggest the presence of norms. Dramaturgical styles were also noted and typologized; these styles appear to comprise the acting out of sub-culturally desirable roles. The possibility that alcohol facilitates such activities is suggested by earlier laboratory work on drinking fantasies. Drinking rewards may, therefore, stem from altered states of consciousness rather than social license alone.