Sociological Understandings of Entrepreneurial Action and Intention

Entrepreneurship as a trend has emerged across many different disciplines, drawing on theory from psychology, economics, and sociology. Importantly, sociologic aspects of entrepreneurship remain hidden from scholarship, as existing topics are often vague or narrowly partitioned. In my dissertation, I utilize sociological understandings of human interactions which define entrepreneurial intention and action. Specifically, I explore how entrepreneurs’ religion, rurality, and social media use influences their behaviors. Throughout these three quantitative essays, I contribute to a better understanding of the social psychology of entrepreneurship, and why entrepreneurial pursuits are so intricately linked to every aspect of society. Throughout my research, which provides a new direction for entrepreneurship researchers, I build a framework for understanding the entrepreneur as a part of a social system of interconnected relationships on which ideas and behaviors are formed.Advisor: Varkey Titus, Jr.