social action theory Flashcards
action theories
start from opposite posititon
they are micro level bottom-up approaches that focus on the actions and interactions of individuals.
more voluntarisitc-they see us as having free willa nd choice our actions are not determined by society
types of actions
As there are infinite subjective meanings actors can give their action, Weber classifies them into 4 types:
1. Instrumentally rational action- the actor calculates the most effective means of achieving a goal, such as a capitalist calculating the best way
to maximise profit if to lower wages.
- Value-rational action- action towards a goal the actor sees as desirable for their own sake, such as worshipping their god so they go to
heaven. Here, there’s no way of calculating if the means to the goal are effective. - Traditional action- customary, routine or habitual actions the actor does because they’ve ‘always’ done it- no conscious thought/choice goes
into it. - Affectual action- actions that express emotion, like weeping from grief, lashing out from anger. Weber sees this type as important in religious
and political movements whose leaders attract a following with their emotional appeal.
Weber argues that there are 2 levels needed to fully
understand human behaviour:
- The level of cause- explaining the objective
structural factors shaping people’s behaviour. - The level of meaning- understanding the subjective
meanings individuals attach to actions.
Evaluation of Weber:
Weber’s theory is a valuable corrective to the over-emphasis theories like functionalism and Marxism put on structural factors, and shows we
have agency to act how we wish.
* Schutz (1972)- argues theory is too individualistic and therefore unable to explain the shared nature of meanings. EG- the person raiding their hand at an auction knows they are placing a bid, but how does everyone else know they’ve applied that meaning to their act?
* Weber’s emphasis of verstehen (putting ourselves in someone’s shoes to see their subjective view point) doesn’t work as we’ll never truly
understand their meanings simply because we can’t be another person.
Mead :symbolic interactionism
- Mead’s work formed a basis for later interactionalists.
Symbols vs instincts:
* Mead observed that human behaviour isn’t shaped by fixed, pre-programmed instincts.
* Instead, we respond to the world by giving meanings to things significant to us, which we do by attaching symbols to the world.
* This means we don’t respond to stimulus in a pre-determined way, but in fact have an interpretive phase where before we respond to it, we have to interpret its meaning.
Taking the role of the other:
* But how do we interpret other people’s meanings?
* Mead argues we take the role of the other, putting ourselves in their place as seeing ourselves as they see us.
* This ability to take another’s role develops through social interaction.
Mead argues that we need the ability to see ourselves as others see us in order to function as members of society.
Blumer: symbolic interactionism
Tries to systematise Mead’s ideas, and identified 3 key principles
when doing so:
1. Our actions are based on meanings we give to events,
situations, people, etc.
2. These meanings come from the interaction process, and changeable/negotiable to an extent rather than fixed.
3. The meanings we give to situations result from interpretative procedures we use, like taking the role of the other.
* Blumer’s view contrasts with structuralist approaches, which generally see individuals as puppets manipulated by society’s institutions.
Blumers argument concludes
Blumer’s argument is that although our actions are
partially predictable because we internalise the
expectations of others, it’s not completely fixed- there
is always some choice/negotiation in how we preform
our roles.
Labelling theory:the definition of the situation
To give something a definition is to label it, and Thomas (1966)
argues that when we label something as real, we give it real consequences.
* EG: if a teacher labels a child as troublesome, they will act differently towards the pupil, like punishing them more harshly.
Labelling theory:the looking glass self
Cooley (1992) argues we develop our self concept through our
ability to take the role of the other: we see ourselves as other see
us, which can cause a self-fulfilling prophecy where we become
what others see us as
Labelling theory: career
Career usually means the stages that someone progress through during their occupation.
* Howard and Becker extent this concept so it applies to groups like medical students, marijuana smokers and those suffering paranoia.
* EG: for mental illness, the individual has a career running from pre-patient, labelling by psychiatrist, to discharge. Each stage has
its own stats and problems, but ‘mental patient’ may become
their master status in the eyes of society.
Goffman’s dramaturgical model:
Labelling theory shows how the self is shaped though
interaction, seeing individuals as the passive victims of labels applied to them.
* Goffman, however, argues that we actively construct our ‘self’ by manipulating people’s impression of us,
Impression management:
- He argues we seek to present a certain image of ourselves to our audiences, and we must control the impression our performance gives to do so.
- This means we are social actors who use body language, tone, gestures/expressions and even props/setting like makeup,
premises and furniture as impression management, techniques that help us sell the image of ourselves we want others to see.
Evaluation of symbolic interactionalism
Interactionalism avoids the issue of determinism that
structuralist theories have, however it is criticised for many
reasons:
* Some argue it is a loose collection of descriptive
concepts rather than a theory.
* Focuses on face-to-face interactions, ignoring wider
social structures like class inequality and the origin of
labels.
* Goffman’s model has limitations, like ignoring that
everyone in this theory plays actor and audience, and
that interactions are often improvised/unrehearsed,
especially Weber’s affectual actions.
