Action theories Flashcards
1
Q
Social action theory
A
- Weber
- Society is built from the bottom up and social action shapes wider society eg suffragettes and votes for women
- Takes a micro approach (small scale)
- Society is made up of bureaucracies which carry out social actions to achieve goals
- Interested in understanding individual behaviour through different types of action :
1. Affectual action eg crying at a funeral
2. Traditional action eg routines at work
3. Instrumentally rational action
4. Value-rational action
2
Q
Evaluation of webers social action theory
A
Positive: Helps us categorise the different reasons that people may have for acting in certain ways
Negative : We cannot assume that all actions actually have meaning eg many behaviours are subconscious
Criticised for assuming the choices of people are made on individual reasons eg socialisation
3
Q
What is action theory ?
A
- Anti-positivist
- They see people as the architects of society and society is shaped by people from the bottom up
- Society is a social construction (people create meaning about the world around them)
- People interpret around them in many ways :
1. Language, colours, objects, gestures, facial expressions and people’s roles are socially constructed in the we all know what behaviour to expect
4
Q
Symbolic interactionism theories and definition ?
A
- collection of theories which focus on how people interact with each other and then respond
1. interpetating symbols (Mead)
2. Negotiation of action (Blumer)
3. Labelling theory
4. Dramaturgical model (Goffman)
5
Q
Interpreting symbolism (Mead)
A
- Humans are unlike there animals as our behaviour is rarely driven by instincts
- People make conscious decisions on how to behave in different social contexts
- People look for symbols in every social situation they end up in (a visual stimulus represents something deeper
- people have to interpret the meaning of the symbol : facial expressions, body language, signs, colours and objects
- We do this by placing ourselves in the role of the other person and imagining what they are thinking when they look at us (developed in childhood)
- Within one society the meaning of a symbol is largely shared by the majority of people within that culture meaning they are social constructs (shared beliefs)
- In other cultures this is different (interaction varies from one culture to another)
6
Q
Evaluation of interpreting symbolism (Mead)
A
- Fails to explain why some people are better at interpreting symbolism than others eg some cannot accurate interpret the meaning of facial expressions and gestures
- Fails to explain that it isn’t always easy to interpret the meaning of symbols eg a person smiling may not be happy
- Mead suggest that people ought to be able to work the meaning of symbols out which isn’t necessarily always true
7
Q
Negation of action (Blumer)
A
- agrees with Mead that :
1. People’s actions are based on a conscious interpretation of a symbol
2. People need to empathise with other people in order to accurately interpret the symbol - Blumer adds that everyone can respond to the same symbolism in very different ways
- Example of prisons : Prisons have clear symbols which offenders are expected to interpret appropriately eg restrictions on access, clear routine + highly disciplined guards
- Some interpret these as being in their interest and conform
- Others see the symbols as oppressive and actively rebel
- Some interpret the symbols as authority as necessary for survival so become institutionalised
8
Q
Evaluation of negotiation of action (Blumer)
A
- Useful that it recognises that interpretation of symbols can vary across individuals
- He fails to explain why some people interpret and react to symbols in these different ways
- Doesn’t adequately explain where those meanings originally come from in the first place
9
Q
Labelling
A
- The first aspect is the application of labels to other people (definition of the situation)
The individual makes a judgment about another individual and treats them with the judgement that have made eg stop and search rates for young black males are disproportionately high rates - How the labelled person responds to the judgement made (looking glass self)
Individuals see themselves as other people see them eg a young black male who has been approached by authority figures multiple times may accept they are perceived as deviant and begin to act with hostility when they are challenged - Once a label has been stuck (a person’s label becomes there career)
People are defined by the label that has been applied to them
Eg young black male who has been labelled and targeted, if they got involved in criminal activity then there criminal record becomes their master status
10
Q
The Dramaturgical Model (Goffman)
A
- Believes people are actively involved in the construction of their own identity
- Compares the way that people behave in real social contexts to the ways actors would behave when giving a performance on stage
1. People follow scripts through the way they choose to communicate with other people (adapt our language to suit audiences)
2. People use props to present a particular image of themselves (how we dress etc)
3. People have offstage and onstage personas (way we present ourselves in a social context)
4. People have role distance meaning there is a gap between our real selves and the roles played in different social contexts (Impression management) - Individuals may not always believe in the roles we play but do it to give a particular impression of themselves
11
Q
Evaluation of Goffman’s dramaturgical model
A
- Overemphasises the extent to which people have free will to choose how to behave in different social situations as it downplays social influences
- Theory only focuses one individual at a time
- It can be argued we don’t have the freedom to choose how to act in different social settings as our behaviour is regulated by forces beyond our control eg dress codes for school
12
Q
What is the structuration theory ?
A
- Giddens
- Social life is shaped by a combination of human actions and wider social influences
- Human action and social structure are a two way relationship
- There is a social structure but also means that these cab be changed when people start to ignore them
- Role of rules maintaining society
- The role of rules in social change
13
Q
Evaluation of the structuration theory
A
- Implies that social actions can make changes to social structures when people begin to challenge social rules but this is only really true when people with power challenge social rules
- He is incorrect to see the relationship between structure and action being relatively balances eg the people who don’t conform often end up in disadvantaged positions
14
Q
The roles of maintaining society
A
- Giddens
- Social structures such as institutions are regulated by rules (some formal which are in law and some informal which underpin the functions of social structures as well)
- These rules dictate how people ought to behave in different social situations eg most people abide by rules but they may be interpreted in different ways by different people
- Education :
- There are formal and informal rules that control the behaviour of teachers and students in educational institutions
Eg laws restrict improper reactions between students and teachers + informal rules to follow regarding dress codes BUT these aren’t followed in the same way by every person
15
Q
The role of rules in social change
A
- Giddens
- Social rules aren’t fixed but negotiable
- If more people begin to reject a particular rule, the structure may beed to change eg the Suffragettes
- However social change occurs gradually as a result of slow and steady action which encourages development
- Most change happens slowly because the majority of people seek out ontological security or a desire for stability
- We cannot cope with. too much rapid change eg although when were given the vote in the 1940’s, women weren’t immediately seen as equal to men and it has taken further action
- Even when wider structural factors appear to evolve, not everyone in society will interpret these changes in the same way (eg some women choose to play a housewife role)
