Research Interests

Research Interests

Law & Society, Deviance & Social Control, Medical Sociology, Culture & Cognition, Cognitive Sociology, Social, Political & Legal Theory, Cultural Criminology, Organizations

Summary

Raphael conducts research to advance a cognitive sociology of expertise. This program examines the institutional aspects of cognition that factor into the development of standards for decision-making and their impact on intelligibility. By examining intelligibility and its connection to alienation, Raphael explores two related forms of inequality: stigma, a measure of social exclusion, and status, the extent to which one is perceived as respected and competent. This permits Raphael to target a number of substantive areas in which stigma and status processes are present (e.g., law, medicine, crime, and education). In doing so, this approach permits him to increase the generalizability of these sociological phenomena so we may understand what is different regarding the content, consequences, management, and foundations of alienation in everyday life.

Since stigma and status are intricately related to the institutional aspects of cognition, Raphael’s theoretical interests require exploring the relationships among six crucial general themes: intelligibility, critical thinking, cognitive style, metaphor, bounded rationality and rationalization, and the justification of quasi-realism.

Research Impact

Raphael’s work is read in over 100 countries by researchers in universities and the private sector. (Live Results)