Socioanalytic Socioanalytic Theory of Robert Hogan Critical to Hogan's theory is the role of rule systems , which are an explicit expression of the morality or values of a social group. Hogan views all purposive social behavior as occurring within the context of rule systems. A defining characteristic of a social rule system is its ethic , e.g., respect or equity. Hogan thinks that both the similarities and differences between people can be explained in terms of their relationship to systems of rules. Similarities between people are a product of the rules that have been adopted by the groups within which they have common membership.
Differences are a product of each individual's understanding and application of a group's rules.
Rule systems represent an adaptive response to evolutionary pressures that compel a social group to create a value system and related behavioral guidelines for its members that ensure that functional responses to the demands of a particular environment will be made. The development of such guidelines increase the probability that a group will survive over time. While the rule systems of a particular culture will differ in many respects, at a basic level, successful cultures will embrace certain common rules, e.g., rules about cheating, lying, and stealing. Most, if not all, human cultures depend heavily upon verbal information and are especially vulnerable to deceptive messages. Thus, rules related to language are common among different moralities, e.g., prohibitions against lying.