Abstract

The dissociative thesis states that social mobility is an uprooting, and therefore detrimental, experience for the individual. Despite the absence of convincing empirical support, this thesis often seems to be commonly accepted in general sociological theory. In this article, I investigate this thesis and consider three dimensions of dissociation – i.e. social disorientation, utilitarian individualism and social isolation. I use data from a large-scale survey in Flanders (Belgium) (n = 2,849) and apply Diagonal Reference Models to study consequences of intergenerational social mobility. I find support for asymmetric acculturation for each dimension, i.e. upwardly mobile individuals adapt more to the social position of destination, compared to downwardly mobile individuals. Moreover, both for social disorientation and utilitarian individualism, I find detrimental effects of downward social mobility.

How to Cite:

Daenekindt, S., (2016) “Terug naar Sorokin?: een analyse van de dissociatiethese aan de hand van Diagonale Referentie Modellen”, Sociologos 37(2), 108–127. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86910