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Understanding Risk-Taking

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Advances understanding of the forces which influence and drive risk-taking and how risk-taking is embedded in broader social contexts
  • Positions a sociological approach in the context of interdisciplinary risk studies and reviews insights of a large number of qualitative studies
  • Complements sociological approaches to risk which often remain on the societal macro level with an interpretivist perspective

Part of the book series: Critical Studies in Risk and Uncertainty (CRSTRU)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. Introduction

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 1-14
  3. The Meaning of Risk

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 15-34
  4. Different Disciplines

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 35-67
  5. The Notion of Risk-Taking

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 69-87
  6. Key Characteristics of Risk-Taking

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 89-143
  7. Negotiating Social Forces

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 145-223
  8. Reasonable Risk-Taking in Everyday Life

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 253-305
  9. Conclusions and Perspectives

    • Jens O. Zinn
    Pages 307-315
  10. Back Matter

    Pages 317-370

About this book

This book outlines and systematises findings from a growing body of research that examines the different rationales, dimensions and dynamics of risk-taking in current societies; providing insight into the different motivations and social roots of risk-taking to advance scholarly debates and improve social regulation. 


Conceptually, the book goes beyond common approaches which problematise socially undesirable risk-taking, or highlight the alluring character of risk-taking. Instead, it follows a broadly interpretivist approach and engages in examining motives, control, routinisation, reflexivity, skills, resources, the role of identity in risk-taking and how these are rooted in and framed by different social forces.

Zinn draws on qualitative studies from different theoretical and conceptual backgrounds such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, pragmatism, feminism, class analysis, theory of practice and discourse analysis among others, to outline key distinctions and concepts central to the understanding of risk-taking. 

It will be a key resource for everyone who is concerned with the understanding and management of risk-taking in all kinds of social domains, such as immigration, youth, leisure sports, crime, health, finance, and social policy.



Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Jens O. Zinn

About the author

Jens O. Zinn is Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Understanding Risk-Taking

  • Authors: Jens O. Zinn

  • Series Title: Critical Studies in Risk and Uncertainty

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28650-7

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-28649-1Published: 16 October 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-28652-1Published: 16 October 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-28650-7Published: 03 October 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2523-7268

  • Series E-ISSN: 2523-7276

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIII, 370

  • Number of Illustrations: 3 b/w illustrations, 12 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Sociological Theory, Social Theory, Sociology of Culture

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access