ABSTRACT
The discrepancy between individual- and aggregate-level changes is well known to students of voting behavior, but it has rarely been countenanced within those grander theories that deal with alternative ways of life. In a dichotomous world in which change is unidirectional, change in the aggregate strength of a way of life must reflect an exactly parallel change at the level of individuals. Theories of culture, it is often said, are peculiarly unable to account for change because they work from the assumption of continuity. Indeed, so close is the association between the expectation of continuity and the concept of culture that change itself often is regarded as evidence against a culturalist theory. Stability without change is like trying to balance oneself on a bicycle without turning the pedals. Just as turning the pedals of a bike is essential to stabilizing the rider, so change is essential to the maintenance of cultural patterns.
