Interactionism - done Flashcards
weber - social action theory
structural and action approaches both need to study human behavior. an adequate explanation involves the level of cause(structural) and the level of meaning (action), without these the explanation is incomplete or false
types of action
instrumentally rational
value rational
traditional action
effectual action
what are instrumentally and value rational actions
instrumentally rational - actor calculates most efficient means of achieving a given goal - capitalism - low wages.
value rational - action toward a goal that the actor sees as desirable for own sake - religion
what is traditional and effectual action
traditional - unconscious actions such as a habit or routines - not rational as no conscious choice
effectual - expressing emotion - weeping over greif
weber criticisms
Schutz - too individualistic and cannot explain the shared nature of meanings
- his action types are difficult to apply
symbolic interactionalism
focuses on the ability to create the social world through our actions and interactions
views - G.H. Mead, labelling theory, and Goffmans dramaturgical model
Mead - symbols versus instincts
unlike animals, our behavior isn’t based on instinct - we give meaning to things significant to us, we attach symbols to things - this is something that represents something else. unlike animals we interpret stimulus and then respond to it, we can choose our response
two labeling theorist concepts
the definition of the situation - Thomas said if someone labels something as real, it will have real consequences - if a boy is labeled as troublesome the teacher will punish them harsher
the looking-glass self - cooley - our self-concept arises out of our ability to take the role of the other - we see ourselves mirrored in the way they respond to us hence the term - sfp occurs as we become what others see of us.
goffmans dramaturgical model
we create images of ourselves by manipulating people’s views on us - drama is referenced as we are actors using scripts and props on stage. we use impression management and presentation of self to create this
Phenomethodology
hursserl - the world as we know it is and can only be a product of our own mind as we produce the meanings from the information gathered by our senses
schutz - phenomenological sociology
our concepts and categories are shared and are not unique he uses typifications and the natural attitude to demonstrate this
schutz’s typifications
shared categories are typifications, they organize experiences to create a shared meaning, and the meaning is not given by the action but the context - arm raising in class and in an auction are dif, typif - clarify and stabilize meanings ensuring we all speak the same language.
schutz’s natural attitude
everyone involved in a process such as ordering a book follows a natural attitude as everyomne is following the same meaning to achieve a goal
ethnomethodology
Garfinkel is interested in how social order is achieved like functionalists - social order is created from the bottom up, it is an accomplishment rather than society being merely puppets on a string. EM tries to find out how this happens, and the methods or rules we use to produce meaning
experiments in disrupting social order
Garfinkel found that acting one way at home and another in public made families feel embarrassed and angry. he concluded that the orderliness of everyday situations is an accomplishment of those who take part in it. social order is participant produced
