The Self as Risk Taker: a Cultural Theory of Contagion in Relation to AIDS

Some people are prepared to take high risk with their lives & those of others. Should this be surprising? Is it more normal to be risk-taking or risk-averse? The authors argue that the risk-taking facet & the risk-averse facet of the personality each emerge in the course of a public debate on freedom & control. It is not psychology but anthropology that shows how the community forces sharp & clear ideas about the self upon its members. (9 refs.)