action theory Flashcards by Millie White

weber: social action theory - 2 levels of sociological explanation AO1

level of cause - explaining the structural factors that shape behaviour

level of meaning - understanding the subjective meanings that people attach to their actions

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

weber: social action theory - types of action

Weber classifies peoples actions into 4 categories
they include:
instrumentally rational action - actor calculates the most efficient means of achieving a goal.

affectual action - expresses emotion

value-rational action

traditional action

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

weber: social action theory - types of action - instrumentally rational AO2

a capitalist might calculate the most efficient way to maximise profit is to pay low wages

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Weber social action theory AO1 overall

2 levels of sociological explanation:
1.) level of cause - explaining the structural factors that shape behaviour

2.) level of meaning - understanding the subjective meanings that people attach to their actions

Weber classifies peoples actions into 4 categories
they include:
instrumentally rational action - actor calculates the most efficient means of achieving a goal.

affectual action - expresses emotion

value-rational action

traditional action

verstehen = to fully understand the meaning behind an individual actions sociologist must get into their shoes and interpret the meaning behind the action

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

weber Ao3 - Schutz

social action theory is too individualistic and cannot explain the shared nature of meanings

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

weber Ao3 - problems with verstehen

we can never truly understand an individual’s actions so can never be sure we’ve understood their motives

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

weber social action theory AO1 - verstehen

to fully understand the meaning behind an individual actions sociologist must get into their shoes and interpret the meaning behind the action

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism - G.H Mead - symbols vs instincts

behaviour is not shaped by pre-determined instincts
instead we respond to the world by giving meanings and attaching symbols

we don’t respond to a stimulus in an automatic way we interpret it

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism - G.H Mead - understanding others

we interpret others meanings by putting ourselves in the place of the other - through shared symbols we become aware of the way we need to act

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism - Blumer’s 3 key principles include…

our actions are based on the meanings we give to situations, people …
these meanings are based on interactions we experience and are not fixed

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism AO1 overall

G.H Mead
- behaviour is not shaped by pre-determined instincts
instead we respond to the world by giving meanings and attaching symbols
- we don’t respond to a stimulus in an automatic way we interpret it
- we interpret others meanings by putting ourselves in the place of the other - through shared symbols we become aware of the way we need to act

Blumer’s 3 key principles include…
1. our actions are based on the meanings we give to situations, people …
2. these meanings are based on interactions we experience and are not fixed

3 key concepts that underpin labelling
1. definition of the situation - definition of something is its label, so if you label a situation as real its consequences will be real
2. looking glass self - the way we develop our self-concept. it arises out of our ability to take the role of the other - and we will then see ourselves how we see them. self-fulfilling prophecy occurs, we become what others see us as
3.career

Goffman’s dramaturgical model
we actively construct our ‘self’ by manipulating what others think of us
we are all actors with the aim of carrying a convincing performance
1. impression management - we seek to present a particular image of ourself - so we study our audience for reactions and adjust our performance to present the convincing image

roles - there’s a gap between who we really are and the roles we play = ‘role distance’

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism - Blumer Ao3 - func

however,
functionalists see the individual as a puppet. social control ensures the individual conforms to society’s norms in fixed predictable ways

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism - labelling - 3 key concepts that underpin labelling

definition of the situation - definition of something is its label, so if you label a situation as real its consequences will be real
looking glass self - the way we develop our self-concept. it arises out of our ability to take the role of the other - and we will then see ourselves how we see them. self-fulfilling prophecy occurs, we become what others see us as

3.career

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism - labelling - 3 key concepts that underpin labelling - definition of situation AO2

if a teacher labels a pupil as ‘troublesome’ the teacher will be more likely to act differently towards them (whether they were naughty or not)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism - Goffman’s dramaturgical model AO1

we actively construct our ‘self’ by manipulating what others think of us

we are all actors with the aim of carrying a convincing performance

impression management - we seek to present a particular image of ourself - so we study our audience for reactions and adjust our performance to present the convincing image
roles - there’s a gap between who we really are and the roles we play = ‘role distance’

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism AO3 - labels

it fails to explain the origin of labels or the consistent patterns we see in people behaviour

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism AO3 - not all action is meaningful

like Weber’s traditional action (habitual routine) much is performed unconsciously or routinely and may have little meaning
interactionism lacks the means to explains this

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

symbolic interactionism AO3 - ethnomethodologists

say that interactionism fails to explain how actors create meanings but it is correct to focus on meanings

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

phenomenology -what it means

we can never have definite knowledge of the world outside our minds - we only know what our senses tell us

phenomenology - Husserl AO1

the world only makes sense because we impose meanings and order on it

we con struct mental categories to classify information

phenomenology - Schutz AO1

applied Husserl’s ideas to the social world

the mental categories we use ourselves aren’t unique = these shared categories are clued typifications

phenomenology - Schutz - typifications

shared categories are clued typifications

help us to stabilise and clarify meanings by ensuring we all agree on the meanings of things

we have shared common-sense and assumptions

this is ‘recipe knowledge’ the ability to interpret a situation without really thinking about it

phenomenology - Schutz - typifications AO2

a red traffic light only means stop because we all agree that it does

phenomenology AO1 overall

we can never have definite knowledge of what the world is outside our minds - we only know what our senses tell us

Husserl
the world only makes sense because we impose meanings and order on it
we construct mental categories to classify information

Schutz
the mental categories we use ourselves aren’t unique = these shared categories are clued typifications - help us to stabilise and clarify meanings by ensuring we all agree on the meanings of things
= ‘recipe knowledge’ the ability to interpret a situation without really thinking about it

phenomenology - Ao3 - Berger and Luckman

it is right to focus on the common sense knowledge disagree with the idea that reality is an subjective reality although reality is socially constructed once it is constructed it takes on a life of its own and reacts back on us.

ethnomethodology - Garfinkel's view AO1

rejects the idea of society as a real objective structure interested in how social order is achieved bottom-up members of society actively construct social order

ethnomethodology - Garfinkel - indexicality AO1

means and relationship break down we cannot take any meaning for granted

ethnomethodology - Garfinkel - reflexivity AO1

using common sense knowledge to interpret everyday situations to construct a sense of meaning and order to stop indexicality occurring

ethnomethodology AO1 overall

Garfinkel - members of society actively construct social order - indexicality - means nothing has a fixed meaning everything is dependent on context - this is a threat to social order because if meanings are unclear communication becomes difficult and relationship break down - reflexivity- using common sense knowledge to interpret everyday situations to construct a sense of meaning and order to stop indexicality occurring

ethnomethodology - Garfinkel reflexivity and suicide AO2

coroners make sense of deaths by selecting particular features when faced with future cases with similar features coroners interpret them as examples of the assumed pattern they then seem to prove the existence of the pattern and it becomes self-reinforcing

ethnomethodology AO3 - construct order

EM draws attention to how we actively construct order and meaning rather than just seeing us as puppets

ethnomethodology AO3 - ignores how wider structures affect meanings

EM ignores how wider structures of power and inequality affect the meanings that individual construct. marxists argue common-sense is really just ruling class ideology

ethnomethodology AO3 - denies the existence of wider society

sees it as just a shared fiction. yet it assumes that a structure if norms exist beyond these contexts. for functionalists these norms are social facts not fiction

structuration theory - Giddens

duality of structure - neither structure nor action can exist without each other through our actions we produce structures and these structures are what makes our actions possible

structuration theory - Giddens - 2 elements of structure

rules - e.g norms resources - e.g power

structuration theory - Giddens - 2 ways that action reproduce existing structures

1. society's rules contain a stock of knowledge about how to live our lives. as we go about our lives we reproduce the existing structure of society 2. we reproduce existing structure through our action because we have a need for security - this encourages action that maintains structures rather than changing them

structuration theory - Giddens - 2 ways that action or agency changes society

1. we reflexively monitor our own actions and their consequences so we can adjust our actions if needed 2. there may be unintended consequences to our actions - we may change the world but not in the way we intended

structuration theory AO1 overall

Giddens - through our actions we produce structures and these structures are what makes our actions possible - 2 elements of structure: rules - e.g norms , resources - e.g power 2 ways that action reproduce existing structures 1. society's rules contain a stock of knowledge about how to live our lives. as we go about our lives we reproduce the existing structure of society 2. we reproduce existing structure through our action because we have a need for security - this encourages action that maintains structures rather than changing them 2 ways that action or agency changes society 1. we reflexively monitor our own actions and their consequences so we can adjust our actions if needed 2. there may be unintended consequences to our actions - we may change the world but not in the way we intended

structuration theory - Giddens - 2 elements of structure - rules AO2

If we wish to use a language to communicate, we must obey its rules otherwise we wont be understood. Shows how action (communication) depends on structure (language rules) Evaluation

structuration theory - Giddens AO3 - Archer, underestimates capacity of resistance

Archer Giddens implies that actors can change structures just by deciding to - underestimates the power of the structures to resist change e.g poor may want to abolish poverty but lack the means to do so.

structuration theory - Giddens - AO3 - Craib, it isn't a theory

Craib it isn't really a theory at all because it doesn't explain what actually happens in society instead it just describes the kinds o things we will find when we study society

structuration theory - Giddens - AO3 - Craib, fiats to unite structure and action

Giddens work reduces the idea of structure to the rules governing routine everyday actions Giddens fails to explain how his theory applies to large-scale structures such as the economy

structure theories

functionalism Marxism feminism

action theories

symbolic interactionism social action theory ethnomethodology phenomenology

weber: social action theory - types of action - instrumental rational action AO2

a capitalist may calculate the most effficient way of maximising profit is to pay low wages

phenomenology - Schutz - typifications AO2

we all know that. a red light means stop and this knowledge enables us to drive safely