action theory Flashcards
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
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
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
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
weber Ao3 - Schutz
social action theory is too individualistic and cannot explain the shared nature of meanings
weber Ao3 - problems with verstehen
we can never truly understand an individual’s actions so can never be sure we’ve understood their motives
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
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
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
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
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’
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
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
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)
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’
symbolic interactionism AO3 - labels
it fails to explain the origin of labels or the consistent patterns we see in people behaviour
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
symbolic interactionism AO3 - ethnomethodologists
say that interactionism fails to explain how actors create meanings but it is correct to focus on meanings
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
- 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
- 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
- we reflexively monitor our own actions and their consequences so we can adjust our actions if needed
- 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
- 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
- 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
