H. Scott Clemens

My name is Scott Clemens, and I identify as a consulting sociologist from Dallas, TX. Sociology could be described as the study of groups and the interaction between members of groups, whereas psychology could be described as the study of individuals and individual traits, characteristics, and behavior.

I am the founder of the Dallas-based company Socio-Logic . I use social science knowledge combined with practical skills to help people create change in organizational, community, and interpersonal contexts. In addition to my experience and training in those contexts, I am fascinated with conflict: how it is a fundamental human experience, the ways in which it forms, and how it can be a “positive” force for change. Therefore, theories of conflict always inform my work, no matter the context in which I am working. You can read more about the professional services I offer at the Socio-Logic website.

This site will delve a bit more into personal information about me. However, to a certain degree, the professional and personal tend to blur for me. I identify as a sociologist not only because I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology, but because I tend to see the world through a sociological lens.

Sociology in Early Life

Although I was not aware of the term sociology when I was younger, I first became fascinated with things that could be considered sociological pretty early in life. In elementary and junior high school, I began to observe... how various social groups at school recognized and accepted people as members. These observations led me to deliberately experiment to determine which outward symbols (clothing, hair, etc.) were fundamental to being accepted in groups. And I also experimented with whether likability or perceived status gave people more freedom in crossing norms in groups. While I was very conscious and deliberate in regard to my experimentation at the time, I did not have the formal language to describe it. What I learned at this early part of my life was very influential and served me well in different spheres as I got older.

ulture

What I learned in that early part of life taught me about the similarities and differences between different groups of people. It also led me to be genuinely interested in different types of people with different backgrounds. Interested in a way you could describe as "curious"; but, also interested in a way that led me to respect and care about people, even ones who had starkly different backgrounds than I. I have spent my life with extended periods around many different racial and ethnic groups, people of different socioeconomic backgrounds, and all sorts of subcultures (and even countercultures). In my early life, I worked as a tradesman in a couple of capacities, later worked in film and art, spent a significant amount of time in business and technology, and have spent the last decade in the social sciences.

anguage

Closely related to culture is language. And I have always been fascinated with language: I love knowing words; different ways to describe things; the feel of certain words on my tongue. It should come as no surprise that I chose a profession that focuses on words and descriptions so much. Key to understanding people’s interactions and how they interpret people and the world around them is through the words they use to describe them. So, I always have my ear bent towards how people describe their world: what they choose to focus on; the words they use; the metaphors they paint.

Other Language Study

Beyond a general fascination with language, I have had a lifelong interest in languages from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds than my own. In my pre-teen years I learned basic conversational Japanese to converse with friends who were Japanese. In my teen and early adult years, I studied classical Hebrew to better understand Hebrew texts.

Chinese ( / )

Later, while attending university, I surpassed the two-year language requirement for my degree, and obtained a certificate of Localization and Translation in Chinese ( / ). Chinese is now the language I have studied the longest and know the best (next to my primary language of English). Although I have never reached the level of spoken Chinese that I had hoped, I am comfortable reading Chinese and I have what would be considered a large vocabulary and still spend time reading Chinese every day.

eligion

While religion (as a subject) naturally fits with language and culture, not everyone who has an interest in language and culture has an interest in religion. However, from a young age, I did. Since elementary school, I have read mostly nonfiction books, and some of my favorite subjects were religion and what is often described as “folklore” and "mythology."... Additionally, I spent a fair amount of time reading the Bible when I was younger, though I never quite interpreted it the same way my family did. Even at a young age, I saw much of the Bible as being rooted in Jewish culture, which is what prompted me to study classical Hebrew when I was younger.

Buddhism

However, I was most drawn to Buddhism. I was introduced to Soto Zen Buddhism and before I was a teenager, I had already started to identify as a Buddhist. Later, I became involved with the Sanbo Kyodan Zen tradition in Dallas and currently participate in several Buddhist communities. I still identify as a Buddhist and... maintain a daily Buddhist practice. Over the years, I’ve found one of the most Buddhist things I can do is develop my Buddhist way of thinking and perspective. To that end, I have made it a point to read many of the classic Buddhist works in the Chinese and Japanese tradition, and I have found my thinking to be influenced by Nagarjuna’s (Longshu's ) work on the middle path and Zhiyi’s work in the Tiantai tradition.

Secular Life

However, I see an immense value in what would be described as the secular (non-religious) and secular life, even though I relate to many people who would identify as “religious.” I do not expect people to accept a Buddhist perspective, and... rarely talk about Buddhism with those who do not share my interest, though Buddhism “informs” the way I view the world. It also probably helps that many forms of Buddhism are “nontheistic”; that is, Buddhism is a religion that often does not involve notions of gods, and I am essentially agnostic.

I mention art because it kind of goes with the themes that have been discussed, but also, for much of my life art and creative endeavors (in the traditional sense) were important to me. I learned to sculpt in elementary school and had a fair degree of competence with drawing and painting,...

as well. In early adulthood, I worked in the film industry and like my mentor, I would have described myself as a plastic artist. In my early thirties, I played keyboards in bands, though I was never much of an instrumentalist.
I do not do much that would be traditionally considered “creative” anymore. However, I still appreciate art in its many forms, see art as an important reflection and “carrier” of culture. So much is communicated about how we collectively view the world through art; and I believe art is key in transforming our collective view. To that end, I am an avid consumer of the written word, movies and film, and music. I do what I can to support local artists through organizing and volunteering projects related to art.

Writing

While I am no longer involved in anything "traditionally creative," I do consider the work I do, which involves a fair amount of writing, as a creative act. I realize it does not fall into the classic view of the “creative arts,” but does require me to synthesize thought in a way that I would describe as creative, to compose ideas in a way that captures subtlety and nuance.

ducation

Because of my line of work, people tend to be curious about my education and experience. So even though this is my personal site, I will discuss this subject, perhaps in a more personal way.

While much of my early life fostered an interest in people, their interaction, and culture, it was not until I was older that I settled into a career in the social sciences. It was both my professional work and personal life at the time that propelled me forward. Towards the beginning of my IT career, I began managing teams and later, I started to prefer the people aspects of my job over the technical aspects. And being an avid reader of the social sciences at the time, I was using knowledge in sociology and social psychology...

to manage those teams. And chief amongst the things that I encountered in most group settings, both in the professional and interpersonal, was conflict. These started my formal journey into sociology and the social sciences.

Conflict and Chinese.

Much of my bachelor’s sociology work was focused on conflict. So much so, that I was able to earn a separate Conflict Management Specialist certificate, which was almost a full year’s worth of coursework devoted to the subject. My bachelor’s degree required two years of language study. However, I studied beyond the two-year requirement, undertaking the advanced language and translation coursework needed to earn a separate certificate in Chinese Localization and Translation.

Graduate School

While my undergraduate work focused on conflict, my graduate work in sociology focused on communities and organizations and used both quantitative and qualitative research to help real communities and organizations create change. Later, I also earned a master’s degree in psychology, with a humanistic focus. While humanistic psychology reminds me to never forget that individuals are always at the heart of groups, my work at Socio-Logic is informed largely by symbolic interactionist-based sociology and social psychology.