The Social Utilization of Technological Risk

It is argued that choices in the face of technological risk are often explicable in social, rather than in mixed social & psychological, terms. This thesis is illustrated by reference to a study of decision making in enterprises employing risky nuclear technology (Duclos, D., La Civilite industrielle [Industrial Civics], Paris: L'Harmattan, 1991), in which apparent inconsistencies between certain work situations & risk cultures are explained without recourse to a psychological hypothesis. Instead, emphasis is placed on the institutional construction of personality in the workplace; in an environment fostering competition for a limited number of merit-based promotions, individuals are forced to "invent" grounds for personal courage & fear in order to be recognized. Adapted from the source document.