Human Society: Structural And Action Perspectives

Question 1

What two broad sets of theories is there a divide between in sociology?

Answer 1

The structural perspective and the action persepective

Question 2

What are three features of the structural perspective?

Answer 2

-starts with society as a whole and then analyses specific social institutions, social structures and social groups
-structuralists are interested in trends, structures and social forces, so they are more likely to use research methods which tend to generate quantitative, statistical data
-interested in social structures and can be considered ‘macro’ sociology

Question 3

What are three features of the action perspective?

Answer 3

-starts with individuals and groups as a whole and believes that communication, language and shared understanding are crucially important
-interested in meaning, processes and interactions; its research methods tend to generate qualitative data
-gives more emphasis to the role of human agency and is considered part of ‘micro’ sociology

Question 4

What are differences between the structural and action perspectives?

Answer 4

The structural perspective views society from the top down, whereas the action perspective views society from the bottom up. This is because the structural perspective is more concerned with large social structures whereas the action perspective looks more at individual and small group interaction.

The structural perspective looks at the way in which the lives and outcomes of individuals are shaped by structures in society.

The action perspective looks at the ways in which individual human agency shapes both lives and structures.