action theories Flashcards
what do social action theories focus on?
micro level which focuses on interactions of people and the ability to act as free agents
what does Weber argue about two levels of sociological explanation?
the level of cause - explaining the objective structural factors that shape people’s behaviour
the level of meaning - understanding the subjective meaning each individual attaches to their actions
what example is used to illustrate Weber’s point?
at the level of structural cause, the protestant reformation introduced a new belief system, Calvinism which changed people’s world view which lead to changing behaviours
at the level of meaning, work took on a religious meaning for Calvinists as a calling by God glorified his name through labourers ethic motivated them to work
what is Weber’s instrumentally rational action?
where an actor calculates the most efficient means of achieving a given goal
what is Weber’s value-rational action?
involves action towards a goal that the actor regards as desirable for its own sake
what is Weber’s traditional action?
involves routine actions
what is Weber’s effectual action?
action that expresses emotion
what are criticisms of Weber?
his view is too individualistic and cannot explain the shared nature of meanings
what is Mead’s symbols vs instincts?
Mead observed that our behaviour is not shaped by fixed instincts as instead we respond to the world by giving meanings to things that are significant to us which we do by attaching symbols to the world of meanings
what example does Mead use to demonstrate his ideas?
when one dog snarls at another, the second dog responds instinctively, adopting a defensive posture
by contrast if a person shakes their fist at another person, we have attached symbols as to what this action may mean and we must interpret this (angry or a joke?) then choose how to respond
what is Mead’s idea of taking the role of the other?
we interpret other people’s meanings by putting ourselves in the place of the other person and seeing ourselves as they see us
what three key ideas did Blumer identify?
our actions are based on meanings we give to situations
meanings arise from interactions
meanings we give to situations are the results of interpretive procedures
what does Blumer argue about action theory?
our actions are partly predictable because we internalise the expectations of others which is not completely fixed
what example does Blumer use to explain his ideas?
someone may see a tree and sit under it for shade on a sunny day while another person may attach the meanings of ants to the tree because it could be infested with ants
this shows the different meanings people attach to things
what is Goffman’s dramaturgical model?
we are all ‘actors’, acting out our ‘scripts’ and ‘performing’ to an ‘audience’ where the ‘backstage’ environment is where we feel most comfortable
eg. at home we may be a daughter or son while at school we are a pupil
