Social action/ Interpretivist theory

Question 1

According to this theory is society separate from the individual or socially constructed?

Answer 1

Socially constructed

Question 2

Do people have free will or are there identity’s formed by external social forces?

Answer 2

Free will

Question 3

Is this theory macro or micro?

Answer 3

micro

Question 4

Does this approach use qualitative or quantitative?

Answer 4

qualitative

Question 5

Are peoples behaviour driven by beliefs meanings and emotions to the situation or seen as the social norms in society?

Answer 5

Too the situation

Question 6

Do they focus on individual behaviour in specific, rare-occurring scenarios or everyday social situations?

Answer 6

Everyday social situations

Question 7

Who came up with the idea of symbolic interactionism?

Answer 7

Mead 1863-1931

Question 8

What are the three symbolic interactionism according to mead?

Answer 8

-Action depends on meaning
-Different people assign different meanings to things
-Meanings can change

Question 9

Three symbolic interactionism- actions depends on meaning?

Answer 9

People act in terms of symbols, such as words, objects, expressions and gestures to which individuals have attached meanings and they act towards people and things in accordance with meanings

Question 10

Three symbolic interactionism- Different people assign different meanings to things?

Answer 10

Everyone has different interactions so have their own thoughts on things

Question 11

Three symbolic interactionism- Meanings can change?

Answer 11

Successful interaction involves correctly interpreting what sort of person you’re dealing with, how they see you, what they expect from you and what you expect from them

Question 12

How would structuralist view symbolic interactionism?

Answer 12

This all contrasts as they see people simply acting out roles handed down by the social structure, as people are in constant process of forming and negotiating roles and how they interact with others, and making choices about how they do

Question 13

Who made up the ‘looking-glass self’?

Answer 13

Cooley 1998

Question 14

What does this theory mean?

Answer 14

Our image of ourselves is reflected back to us like a mirror in the view of others

Question 15

Is it possible to adopt a new self identity? example?

Answer 15

Yes in accordance with how other see them or modify their behaviour and try and change peoples view of them
e.g. individual sees themselves as outgoing but others see them as introverted

Question 16

The looking glass self- is this socially constructed?

Answer 16

Yes and its subject to constant change through the process of interaction

Question 17

Who came up with the labelling theory?

Answer 17

Becker

Question 18

What does becker say about the labelling theory?

Answer 18

Symbolic interactionalism have been applied to labelling theory, suggesting that people label or define individuals and situations in particular ways, which will affect the way those with the labels behave

Question 19

What is the master status?

Answer 19

A status that has exceptional importance for social identity often shaping a persons entire life, master status can be ascribed or achieved

Question 20

What is educational triage?

Answer 20

We have A students- teacher will not spend time with these students as they will pass either way (m/c)
B student- spend all time with these as they are borderline cases (m/c)
C student- will fail and are helpless cases (w/c)

Question 21

What is the ideal pupil?`

Answer 21

Stereotypes teacher has where students should be hardworking submissive, studious, helpful and articulate. This is pre-determined and based on study this is usually middle class white and asian girls

Question 22

What is the halo effect?

Answer 22

Teacher views a student and label the being superior therefore they move up in the education system with a ‘halo’ will always be successful.
Good/bad Thick/bright

Question 23

What is pygmalion effect?

Answer 23

Describes situations where someones high expectations improve our behaviour and therefore our performance in a given area

Question 24

Who came up with the dramaturgical model?

Answer 24

Goffman 1990

Question 25

Goffman- what is the dramaturgical model?

Answer 25

Sees society as a stage, we are all acting
The front stage- when we are in front of an audience (put on an act)
Backstage- When we are at home by our self

Question 26

Goffman dramaturgical model- presentation of self?

Answer 26

People project different impression of themselves

Question 27

Goffman dramaturgical model- impression managment?

Answer 27

Individuals try to convince us of the different identity’s they win to assert
This is impression management
Good actors persuade the audience or viewers that they are really the characters they are playing

Question 28

Who came up with ethnomethodology?

Answer 28

Garfinkel 1984

Question 29

Ethnomethodology- what is this?

Answer 29

-Rejects the ideas of external social structures and sees society as a social construct
-Argues there are unwritten rules which given everyday situations, when they are disrupted it demonstrated how fragile society can be
-Denies real society instead we construct our own social world everytime we interact with each other

Question 30

Ethnomethodology Garfinkel- what is the breaching experiment?

Answer 30

Examines people’s reactions to the breaching or disruption of the everyday taken for granted assumption of community accepted rules/norms

Question 31

Ethnomethodology Garfinkel- how did he do this experiment?

Answer 31

Asked his students to behave like lodgers in there family homes
(no personal conversations/polite and tidy)
As a result, parents were confused and even worried about their children shows the assessed meaning we have placed with the role

Question 32

Strengths?

Answer 32

-Overcomes the determinism of structuralist theories by recognising people have reasons for what they do
-Provides insight into how the construction of meaning has consequences for people e.g. how labelling can lead to self fulfilling prophecy
-Qualitative methods used in the interpretivist approach have high levels of validity

Question 33

Weaknesses of this from a marxist perspective?

Answer 33

Ignores the power distribution in society
For example, people would be more likely to pay attention to the labels given to them by a person of power

Question 34

Weaknesses of this from a feminist perspective?

Answer 34

Ignores the fact that social constructions are influenced hugely by gender
For example, certain behaviour have been constructed to be worse of done by a female

Question 35

Weaknesses of this from a functionalist perspective?

Answer 35

Studying at a micro level ignores the impact of social institutions and the role they play in creating such meanings and norms

Question 36

Weaknesses of this from a postmodernist perspective?

Answer 36

Action theory is as much as meta narrative as any other theory that claimed to provide a full explanation of social life.
Action theory is just one of many competitions points of views

Question 37

What is integrated approach- structure + action?

Answer 37

A third way between structuralism and action theory, recognizing the importance of both the constraints of social structure and possibilities for choice
-Societys best understood by a mix of both as constraints from social structures (work and family and income it does or doesn’t produce), the law and education limit the behaviours of individuals or groups and have importance influence on the formation of individual or group identities
-However individuals can make choices within those structures and thereby can change them

Question 38

Integrated- Weber’s theory?

Answer 38

-Rejects determinism like max economic, we are not puppets being controlled
-We don’t have complete free will
-Didnt dismiss the importance of social structures, particularly the structure of inequality and how these influence ideas, shaped their lives and life changes

Question 39

Integrated- Giddens theory of structuraration?

Answer 39

-Structures and action are the same parts of the process
-Structures only exist because of people’s actions and people can only act because of the structures allow meaningful action to take place
-For example the legal system e.g. the legalisation of cannabis came into society because of beliefs