This book presents a unique and engaging view of the world of behaviors individuals perform by themselves. The book’s central claim is that solitary action, in its many diverse and often highly absorbing forms, is as prevalent in everyday life as the complimentary domain of social interaction. But, while there are numerous studies of social interaction, this is the first work in social theory to develop an understanding of what people do when they are on their own. Like many studies of interaction, by authors such as Mead, Goffman, and Garfinkel, the book focuses on forms of behavior rather th ... More

This book presents a unique and engaging view of the world of behaviors individuals perform by themselves. The book’s central claim is that solitary action, in its many diverse and often highly absorbing forms, is as prevalent in everyday life as the complimentary domain of social interaction. But, while there are numerous studies of social interaction, this is the first work in social theory to develop an understanding of what people do when they are on their own. Like many studies of interaction, by authors such as Mead, Goffman, and Garfinkel, the book focuses on forms of behavior rather than the meaning individuals ascribe to their acts. The focus on forms of behavior leads to three novel premises that shape the understanding of solitary action throughout the book. First, solitary action is a contextually reflexive form of behavior. Second, many forms of solitary action have the distinctive capacity to hold the individual’s attention as the context of activity proceeds. Third, solitary forms of action vary noticeably in their structural constraints. To cite a contrasting set of examples highlighted in the book: whereas the game of solitaire is played with rigid constraints on each move in a sequence of action, the art of solo jazz improvisations provides a multitude of possibilities for variations on a theme. While the book is written with intellectual rigor, the text is surprisingly accessible and includes novel examples that illustrate the significance of each conceptual step.