William Sonnenstuhl
William Sonnenstuhl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Organizational Behavior and the Department of Extension. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from New York University in 1983 and his M.A. in Sociology from the New York School for Social Research in 1971. Professor Sonnenstuhl teaches course in Organizational Behavior. These include: Cultures of Work Organizations, Organizations and Deviance, and Research Methods. He is also Associate Director of the ILR School's R. Brinkley Smithers Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies, where he conducts research on substance abuse and the workplace and education programs for labor and management.
Research Statement
My current research focuses on college drinking. My current book, The Misperception of College Drinking: Pluralistic Ignorance and Campus Life highlights that most students drink responsibly or not at all. In order to reach the minority of students who have drinking problems, student leaders must take the lead in educating their peers about what constitutes responsible drinking, teaching them to intervene with those who drink too much and get into trouble, and assist those in need of treatment to get it. This strategy may be used to change other misperceptions about campus life: hazing, mental health, diversity and inclusion, and sexual violence.
Publications
Books
- . (2024). Pluralistic Ignorance, Campus life, and Drinking. ILR Press.
- . (2024). The Misperception of College Drinking: Pluralistic Ignorance and Campus Life. ILR Press.
- . (2001). Mutual Aid in Union Renewal: Cycles of Logics of Action. Cornell University Press.
- . (1996). Working Sober: The Transformation of an Occupational Drinking Culture. ILR Press.
- . (1994). Member Assistance Programs: Labor's Role in the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse. Cornell University Press.
- . (1990). Strategies for Employee Assistance Programs: The Crucial Balance. ILR Press.
- . (1986). Inside an Emotional Health Program: A Field Study of Workplace Assistance for Troubled Employees. ILR Press.
Journal Articles
- . (2008). Retirement and drug abuse: The conditioning role of age and retirement trajectory. Addictive Behaviors, 33, 1610-1614.
- . (2008). Aging and drinking problems among mature adults: The moderating effects of positive alcohol expectanceies and workforce disengagement. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 69(1), 151-159. (PubMed:18080075)
- . (2008). Aging and drinking problems among mature adults: The moderating effects of positive alcohol expectancies and workforce disengagement. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 69(1), 151-159.
- . (2002). Driven to drink: Managerial control, work-related risk factors and employee drinking behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 45(4), 637-658.
Professional activities
- The Misperception of College Drinking. Presented to University of Georgia. University of Georgia - Athens. 2015.
- Labor's view of health care and negotiations With Dick Lipsitz Jr.. Presented to ILR. Ithaca. 2014.
- The Future of U.S. Healthcare. Presented to Institute for Workplace Studies, ILR School. New York, NY. 2009.