Interactionism Flashcards
1
Q
What is interactionism?
A
- Micro- emphasises individuals
- Focus on subjective aspects of social life
- Studies communication between individuals and groups
- Communicates with symbols that are meaningful
- Deviance and individual differences are more tolerated
2
Q
What did Weber say about social action theory?
A
- Weber defined sociology as the study of social action between individuals
- Sociology requires macro and micro analysis
- He said individual construct their own meaning for things
3
Q
What is symbolic interaction?
A
- Emphasised subjective meaning of human behaviour
- Humans act towards things on the basis of meanings
- Meanings are a product of social interaction
- Society consists of organised and patterned interactions
- Reality is subjective for each person
4
Q
What did Mead say about taking the role of the other?
A
- The only way to interpret other people’s meanings is to take the role of other people and see ourselves in their eyes
- We imitate others through play as children
5
Q
What 3 key principles did Blumer create from Mead’s work?
A
- Our actions are based on meanings we give to situations, events and people
- Meanings come from the interaction process
- Meanings are given as a result of procedures we use every day without thinking
6
Q
What is symbolic interactionism?
A
- Goffman
- Dramaturgical analogy- life is like a stage
- People interpret their roles in different ways
- People are aware of this, self presentation
- We see ourselves as others see us
7
Q
Evaluation of symbolic interactionism:
A
- Interactionists cannot explain where norms come from
- Underestimate the degree to which human behaviour is constrained
- They neglect the role of structural factors
8
Q
What is phenomenology (Schutz)?
A
- Internal workings of the human mind and how they make sense of the world around them
- Series of typifications to organise the world
- Store of common sense knowledge which helps in everyday interactions
9
Q
What is phenomenology (Husserl)?
A
- World only makes sense because we impose meaning on it
- Classify and file information passed to us through senses
- World is a product of our mind
10
Q
What is ethnomethodology?
A
- Garfinkel
- The study of methods used to give meaning to the social world
- Unwritten rules to govern daily situations
- We actively construct our society
11
Q
Who said that there are 2 sides to every coin and neither can exist without the other?
A
Giddens- structure and action
