Citation

Cameron WB, McCormick TC. Am. J. Sociol. 1954; 59(6): 556-564.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1954, University of Chicago Press)

DOI

10.1086/221442

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The concepts of security and insecurity, which originated with W. I. Thomas and Alfred Adler, have not been consistently defined, nor has a theory been developed. Most writings fall in one of nine rough categories, according to the meaning or causal explanation employed. The characteristic tone is clinical, normative, and propagandistic rather than scientific, and there has been no rigorous testing of hypotheses as yet. The usefulness of the subjective concept for any scientific purpose remains to be demonstrated.