Social Action Flashcards
social action arguing that society is socially constructed
created by individuals and is not something separate or above individuals. They have an emphasis on free will; individuals create their identities and behave in ways they choose, not because society tells them to.
People’s behaviour is driven by their beliefs, everyone sees situations uniquely, therefore they interpret the same situation very differently – meanings behind behaviour are unique.
For this reason, social action theorists argue research should be on an individual level, a micro approach (they are not interested in studying trends or general patterns). Therefore, their methodological approach favours the Interpretivist, qualitative style, such as participant observation.
symbolic interactionism, blumer def
This approach sees society as shaped by interactions between people that take place on the basis of shared meanings held by individuals
symbolic interactionism, people act in terms of symbols
the meanings we attach to objects, words, expressions or gestures. An example of this is the sacred meaning surrounding the Christian cross. Without this meaning, the cross is just a piece of jewellery, but humans have attached deep, symbolic meaning to certain objects.
symbolic interactionism, develop out of interactions
These meanings develop out of interactions of an individual with others, and can change during the course of interaction. For example, people can wear the Christian cross as a fashion statement, while others will worship the cross as a symbol of commitment to their religion. Some may wear it to symbolise family and others as a source of their individual identity,
symbolic interactionism, understand how theyre seen by others
Meanings arise from people trying to understand how they are seen by others. As humans, we are constantly internalising how others see us. This affects our self-identity and how we construct our sense of self.
application to balmer- smiling
Smiling is a useful way of illustrating Blumer’s process. A smile is just a physical contortion of the face, but people have learnt through interaction with others to attach to smiling the symbolic meaning of warmth and friendliness. When interacting with someone who is smiling, individuals may, because of this meaning, be encouraged to smile back, particularly if they interpret this as a gesture of warmth and friendliness by the other person. If someone smiles and the individual doesn’t respond to this symbol by smiling back, this is likely to influence how the other person sees that individual (maybe as rude or unfriendly), and if the non-smiling individual doesn’t realise this by putting themselves in the other person’s position, then interaction is likely to end or be difficult
labelling theory- the definition of the situation
A definition of something is its label, if we define something as real/true then this belief will affect how we act which in turn has consequences for those involved. Think about labelling in classrooms. In society, only some people have the power to ‘define’ situations.
labelling theory- the looking glass self -cooley
Cooley uses this idea to describe how we develop our ‘self-concept’ (who we think we are!). We see our self-mirrored in the way others respond to us and as a result a self-fulfilling prophecy occurs. This helps Labelling Theorists to understand the effects of labelling. Through the looking glass self, the label becomes part of the individual’s self-concept and a self-fulfilling prophecy is created when it is acted out.
labelling theory- the career- jock young
used this concept by applying it to marijuana smoking hippies to explain the movement through the overall labelling process. Young found that once a label had been attached to a group, a deviant career was likely to occur. The hippies smoked marijuana sometimes, but not often and not as a key part of their subculture. Once the police recognised that this was occurring and labelled it as deviant, the hippy culture began to become stigmatised. This meant that hippies were further isolated from society and as a consequence began smoking marijuana more and more. It then became a key part of their subculture and identity and led to them committing other deviant acts. This shows how an initial label can be internalised and lead to a future of acts in line with the label given.
Rosenhan ‘sane and insane places’
studied the process of labelling someone as mentally ill in his study ‘Sane in Insane Places’ by sending his own students into a psychiatric hospital.
the dramaturgical analysis -goffman
Goffman suggests that society is like a stage and we are all actors within it. We play different roles at different times and these roles involve costumes, props, scripts etc. An example of this can be seen in the role of a teacher – teachers have a costume in terms of their dress code, props such as textbooks, laptop, board pens, they have a script in the form of the syllabus and formal language.
backstage goffman
This is where the individual can step out of the role that they have adopted and be their ‘true selves’. For example, when the doctor goes home she/he may remove his formal wear and put on casual clothes, when he communicates with his family he would adopt a less formal tone, when he interacts with his friends he may swear, drink alcohol and make jokes which he would not do when he is on the front stage.
frontstage, goffman
This is where the ‘performance’ is taking place. The individual has adopted the role they have been given and it is up to them to make sure they give a convincing performance. For example, when you go to the doctors, you would expect a doctor to wear formal clothes, speak in a sophisticated way, and have a certain level of knowledge about the issue you have sought advice for. If the doctor does not demonstrate these behaviours, you may question their capability. It is therefore important that each individual adopts their role in a convincing way for society to function.
phenomenology
that social order in an illusion. Although, the main focus for phenomenologists is to answer the question ‘what is reality?’. Within our own minds, we construct our own social reality (our everyday norm), one that we believe others hold too. Although, phenomenology asks to what extent do we all share the same ‘reality’?
ethnomethodology
Ethnomethodology is a form of understanding individual behaviour and interpretations of the world. Its sole belief is that social order is an illusion; it only appears because members of society create it in their minds and impose a sense of order using their own common-sense procedures and culturally embedded rules and assumptions. It is important that society’s members hold these shared assumptions in order for society to remain stable.
