"Disembodied Access" and Technological Constraints on Organizational Development: A Study of Mail-Order Religions
Using a structural perspective, Lofland's concept of "disembodied access" is related to deviant religions in American society. Specifically, this paper investigates the influence of the United States Postal Service as it channels and constrains the organizational development of a samp...
| Published in: | Journal for the scientific study of religion |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[1976]
|
| In: |
Journal for the scientific study of religion
|
| Further subjects: | B
Charisma
B Mail services B Fringe B Motivation B Newsletters B Advertising campaigns B Social Control B Christianity |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Using a structural perspective, Lofland's concept of "disembodied access" is related to deviant religions in American society. Specifically, this paper investigates the influence of the United States Postal Service as it channels and constrains the organizational development of a sample of 27 religious groups whose members and leaders correspond almost exclusively by mail. Three structural adaptations of these groups are discussed as consequences of relying on the mails for existence: procedures of recruitment, commitment maintenance, and the distribution of charisma. It is concluded that the structure of the postal system confronts these religious groups with unique constraints that interact with more general dilemmas to limit organizational growth, more so than in the case of religious groups not relying so heavily on the mails. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1468-5906 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1385361 |