The term "social dynamics" is used in a wide variety of contexts that vary in level from the societal to the individual and in approach from qualitative (verbal) to quantitative (mathematical). For example, on the societal level, one can point to Sorokin's ([1937–1941] 1957) qualitative approach in Social and Cultural Dynamics. At the other extreme, though also at the global level, there are works such as Forrester's (1971) mathematical, computer-oriented approach in World Dynamics and the statistical, empirical approaches found in Ramirez et al.'s (1997) study of the adoption of women's suffrage throughout the world and Frank et al.'s (1997) research on the spread and development of a world environmental regime. On the individual level, examples of qualitative approaches include Hareven's (1982) Family Time and Industrial Time and the relevant chapters in Bertaux and Thompson's Pathways to Social Class (1997). Also on the individual level, there are mathematical approaches such as...