One set of forces are the powers toward manifestation mutually exerted on each other by the fields of expression. A field of expression--an individual--is a region of energy and forces to another; it is an aspect of reality striving to be determinate, specific, within a percipient's perspective. In the sociocultural field these forces are then the fields of expression transformed to the mode of power.

For example, when we converse, the other person's words, gesticulations, posture, facial expressions, eyes, and so on constitute determinables and dispositions bearing upon us with various powers to be manifest. If he is charismatic and exciting his field of expression will command considerable power over our perception; if he is a bore we will have to exercise conscious force to maintain perceptual contact.

Since these powers toward manifestation bear in the same direction (towards another field), I can treat them all as one vector of power pointed in the direction of the other field and with a magnitude equalling the amount of power the field has to be manifest,¹ as illustrated in Figure 14.1 for two persons i and j. For simplicity only two common components of the common sociocultural space, two fields of expression associated with individuals i and j, and only j's vector of power are shown. The location of each field in this two-dimensional space is a function of the relative wealth and philosophical-religious meanings these fields manifest.² These relative positions thus measure the underlying intentions, values, and potency mutually manifest in these fields. This is not to say that their spatial position defines their actual intentions, values, and potency, but only that which each perceives. The actual intentions of a person is a subjective affair which we can never really know but only infer from his field of expression.

The direction of j's vector of power is toward i in Figure 14.1, since i is the percipient. Holding constant the perceived occasion, which can inflate or dampen components of the vector of power,³ the length of this vector indicates the power toward manifestation of the other's field. That is, the greater the differences from us in wealth and philosophy-religion, the more these differences are forced upon our perception. Considering the sociocultural space as a whole, our attention tends to be drawn to the foreigner, the flamboyantly dressed person, a well-known athlete, a reputed gangster, and so on. The more others differ from ourselves, the more their social reality impacts on our perception.

Thus, distance in sociocultural space is not analogous to distance in physical space. In the latter, gravity, magnetism, and other forces become attenuated with distance, as for example in the law that the force of attraction between two physical bodies is the product of their masses divided by their squared distance. In sociocultural space, distances between individual fields measure their manifest differences in intentions, values, and potency. And the distance from individual i to j may not be the same as from j to i.⁴

Since this vector of power towards manifestation in sociocultural space is a distance, I will henceforth use the term sociocultural distance vector, or just distance if I can do so without ambiguity, to refer to this power. Later I will discuss this in more detail, since the idea of social distance has played a useful role in sociological thought.

An occasion, therefore, is very much a part of the sociocultural space. It is relative to individual fields of expression and has sociocultural location in terms of its meaning, value, and norm, class and status relevance.

Figure 14.2 shows an occasion in a common sociocultural space of two individual fields. The vector from i to occasion is that of perspective transformation from i. This confronts the distance vector (vector of power) "from j. Thus, i's actual perception of j is the balance between--the product of--the perspctive and distance vectors.

To be more specific about this relationship, let us take a closer look at the occasion. This itself is a complex field of expression, a mosaic of manifestations, dispositions, and so on. We intuit an occasion through the relevant patterns involved by factoring it into meaningful components. Thus, an occasion may manifest both religious and aesthetic meanings and values, or be relevant to our prestige.

Now, the occasion as part of the sociocultural space is thus defined on all the spatial components, even. if some have no relevance (in the same way a one-dimensional line or two-dimensional piece of paper can be located in the three-dimensional space of a room). Similarly, then, the perspective vector from i to the occasion will be defined on all the components, as will be the distance vector.

The product of the perspective and distance vectors is then the weighting of each component of the sociocultural distance vector by the corresponding component of the perspective. That is, the manifest aspects of another relevant to our wealth and philosophy-religion will be weighted by those parts of an occasion associated with these components for us.

An equation may help clarify this weighting. Let P_i stand for i's perception, d for a component (such as wealth or philosophy-religion) of the distance vector between i and j, and alpha () for the component of the perspective vector from i to the occasion. Then, for Figure 14.2,

Equation 14.1:

P_i = ₁d₁ + ₂d₂,

where the first subscript stands for the philosophy-religion component and the second for wealth.^4a

Clearly, alpha can be plus or minus. This is to say that our perspective on an occasion can inflate, depress, or reverse the power towards manifestation of another. For example, we may perceive someone similar to us in physical size more readily than someone smaller if the occasion suggests that the other threatens us. Thus, even though the vector of power to be manifest is quite weak, the occasion may magnify it for us; even if the vector is quite strong, the occasion may eliminate it (we may not hear a scream for help if we ourselves are fighting for our lives).

As a consequence of another's manifest sociocultural distance from us and our own personality, needs, roles, sentiments, attitudes, interests, and so on, we are disposed to behave towards another in a particular fashion. In terms of i and j, i has a disposition to behave towards j as exemplified in Figure 14.3 by the vector W_ij. The vector is the behavioral disposition of i towards j (thus the symbol ij) in the interaction space defined by the familistic and contractual components; it is the tendency of i's behavior to be familistic and contractual. The field of expression of i is at the origin of the space, since the behavior disposition vector originated with i.⁵

Our behavioral disposition is weighted, however, by the occasion. The other may ask us a question, shake his fist, look sad, or whatever. This occasion, however, itself is part of the behavioral space as shown in Figure 14.4, for it generates our expectation about the corresponding outcome or consequences of our behavior; its location in the space delineates the nature of this behavioral outcome appropriate to the occasion. These expectations are described by the vector beta from the occasion to i's field.

To be clear, this expectation vector is a power to manifest in i's perspective a particular expected behavioral outcome regarding the specific occasion. We not only act towards others as we are disposed by our view of them and our personality, but we also act towards them on the basis of what we think will happen on a particular occasion as a result of our behavior.

Dispositions and expected outcomes mutually underlie our actual behavior. No matter how familistically disposed towards another, we are hardly inclined to act solidarily if we expect a slap in the face. On the other hand, even if the occasion calls for close cooperative effort we are disinclined to aid our enemy unless the occasion is one directly threatening our security, as in an earthquake or foreign invasion.

Occasions such as club meetings, interviews, family picnics, class reunions, lectures, and introductions form patterns of behavioral tendencies. They generate an expectation vector which itself is a power towards manifesting specific expectations in i's psychological field. Thus, being in a girl's apartment after a date is an occasion with much power to manifest certain expectations.

Thus, this vector of power (expectations) shown as beta () in Figure 14.4, is itself confronted by i's perspective on reality. And this perspective is the behavioral disposition of i towards j, since this disposition involves i's personality and perception of j.⁶ Behavior is then the product of dispositions and expectations.

Specifically, as illustrated in Figure 14.4, the location of the occasion vector in behavior space defines the expected outcome, in this case, what combination of contractual and familistic behavior can be anticipated. Therefore, the relationship between expectations and dispositions can be put in equation form. If B _ij stands for i's actual behavior towards j, then

Equation 14.2:

B_ij = ₁W₁ + ₂W₂,

where the first subscript refers to the familistic component, the second to the contractual, and w is the corresponding disposition of i towards j.