A Landscape Theory of Aggregation and Social
Networks:
Substantive and Methodological Concerns
Timothy Tappe
ttappe@uwyo.edu
Axelrod and Bennet debuted a Landscape Theory of Aggregation
in 1993, which predicts how agents, who are myopic in their decisions making
and incremental in their actions, will aggregate into certain configurations
based on their propensities to be attracted to or repelled from one another,
or, in other words, to align. These propensities are modeled as a function
of the relative “size” and “power” of each agent in the collective and form
an energy landscape as agents seek to minimize their “frustration,” and,
consequently, lower their energy by switching alliances. This paper attempts
to address both methodological and substantive concerns surrounding the accuracy
and predictive viability of this model when used to model and make predictions
about the social networks of college-age males. Further, it attempts to put
forth an alternative model as well as assess the impact of this and other
models upon research in the social sciences.