Melvin L. Kohn is the author of well-known theory on the relationship between social class,
work and personality, supported by sophisticated cross-national research. Kohn’s theory and research
make a good example for the sociologists of how sociology should be done and cultivated. Here they are
evaluated from the educational perspective.
This essay was presented at the symposium “Social Structure and Personality under Conditions of Stability and Change. Research of Melvin L. Kohn and his Collaborators,” celebrating M. L. Kohn 80th anniversary, Warsaw, December 16, 2008.