Theory and methods

Finding one's way in social space: o study based on games sociology of everyday interactions presupposes that individuals a common ability (manifested, for example, in situations of symbolic confrontation, challenge, bluff, etc.) to spot the social of actors and to manipulate the marks of this identity. This ability, which has rarely been empirically investigated, is, however,.often presented as an immediate consequence of the process of socialization, and the question of differences in individual com-is a modified and enlarged version of a paper first presented at the Colloquium pn "Social Representations and Educational Field " held at Aix-en-Provence (Nov. 30-Dec. 3, 1981), and organized by the Laboratoire Européen de Psychologie Socialè (LEPS) of the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme (MSH) in collaboration with 'thé: UER de Psychologie of the Université d'Aix, Marseille r. The authors are listed in alphabetical order..Alain Desrosières, Michel Gollac, Dominique Jouglet and Baudouin Seys took in the preliminary discussions on the formulation of the exercises. The collec-of data was done with the co-operation of Isa Aldeghi, Nathalie Heinich and DC"CU'<.:LC Vallet. Yan Darré helped with the huge task of processing the material. would like to thank themall.This research has been carried out under the I:r:;;auspic(~s of the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE) the Centre de sociologie de l'éducation et dela culture of the EHESS. It has pro-material for initiation in social classification to be used by the depart-"Formation et Perfectionnement " of the INSEE