Agency and social adaptation

Abstract

This review examines the relevance of agency to the citizen's participation in modern society. Recently, a number of authors have proposed that the development of a more communal rather than individualistic-oriented person would remedy the social alienation found in modern society. In this paper I propose that in modern, complex, and technology-oriented societies, agency, or an instrumental orientation, is necessary for citizens to be able to adapt to their cultural environment. Findings from research in peace, community, and organizational psychology are reviewed in terms of the relevance of agency to social action and community participation. Components of agency, such as self-protection concerns, efficacy beliefs, and moral responsibility values, were found to facilitate social action in modern Western societies. Social action, in turn, enables citizens to acquire rights and resources that allow their participation in work and the community. Accordingly, agency as well as communion, are necessary for citizens to establish the requirements for participation in modern and technologically-advanced societies. Implications for social intervention and policy are indicated.