Intergrated approaches - combining stucture and action Flashcards
Integrated approaches combine structuralist and social action theories, suggesting that
society is best understand by using both. Social structures (family, law, economy etc) limit and control behaviour but individuals can still make choices within these structures and thereby change them.
Weber’s sociology - neither structuralist or social action
emphasised the importance of understanding the subjective meanings people people held and how they viewed the world - called this understanding “verstehen”
recognised that people had choice and could act to change social structures but didn’t dismiss the importance of these structures and their effect on behaviour, ideas and choices
Weber’s study of the emergence of capitalism in Western Europe - The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904)
identified the significance of religion in generating change in the social structure
viewed protestant ideas as a key reason for the development of capitalist industrialisation
illustrated his idea that explaining society requires verstehen of the meanings and motives for people’s actions, as well as the influence of social structures (such as religion or the economy)
Verstehen definition
the idea of understanding human behaviour by putting yourself in the position of those being studied and trying to see things from their point of view
Gidden’s (integrated) theory of structuration (1986)
an attempt to combine structure and action, which he regards as 2 parts of the same process
structure and action depend on one another and structures only exist due to people’s actions whilst people can only act because the structures enable meaningful action, referred to as the duality of structure
Giddens -structuration définition
refers to the two-way process by which people are constrained or shaped by society and social institutions, but they can at the same time take action to support, shape and change them
Giddens - reflexivity (interactionism / late modernism)
people are constantly reflecting on the things they do and how they do them
reflexivity refers to the way the knowledge people gain about society can affect the way they behave in it, as people (and institutions) reflect on what they do and how they do it
Giddens’ structuration - application using the law
the legal system is part of the social structure which constrains people’s behaviour
however it can only continue as long as people continue to support and conform to it (eg if cannabis gets very widespread the law will probably have to change)
shows that social structure constrain human action and people reproduce these structures by their actions supporting them
Evaluation of integrated approaches
criticised by structuralists for overstating the capacity of individuals to change social structures and for underestimating the constraints on individual choices of action
action theories view it as understating people’s ability to change society and overestimating the extent of constraints of social structures impacting behaviour
