| Chapter 2: | Theory |
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Network Structure
The basic conceptual model is outlined in Figure 2.1. The initial construct in the model represents the primary predictor variable, which is the structure of the network. The personal networks of the focal person are based on the respondent naming individuals considered important in his/her life—the procedure most commonly used for networks of significant others (Milardo, 1992). Because older adults tend to shed peripheral ties to concentrate on the more important and intimate ones, they typically have smaller networks (Labouvie-Vief, 1999). For this and other reasons, a maximum of 10 possible linkages was considered sufficient to exhaust the important relationships in the network. By limiting responses to 10 individuals, it was possible to collect detailed data on each individual in the network.
Network analysts seek, among other things, the structural constraints that impinge on individual action (Wellman, 1983). An approach to determine the deep structure underlying patterns of everyday interaction is realized by generating a network typology whereby each type is constructed by grouping personal networks according to their structural similarity.
Figure 2.1. Basic conceptual model.
