Social Action Theory

Question 1

ETHNOMETHODOLOGICAL APPROACH.

Answer 1

Society has no structure or pattern outside individual consciousness, any sense of order is created using common sense assumptions.

GARFINKEL-
Indexicality- assumptions and meanings are based on context creating a sense of uncertainty, reflexivity allows us to act as if it is clear.
Use meanings to create self reinforcing patterns to emphasise order. Ie assumptions made by coroners of the nature of a suicide are self reinforcing but create a sense of pattern.
BREACHING EXPERIMENTS - students act like lodgers - anger. show how delicate social order is and how created via shared assumptions.

ATKINSON- Suicide stats are a social construct.

Question 2

Symbolic interactionism- Evaluation

Answer 2

:) Free Will

:(
Ignore wider structures REYNOLDS 2/84 thought power was a key topic.
No explanations of the origins of the label.
No explanation of traditional action.

Question 3

ETHNOMETHODOLOGISTS - Evaluation

Answer 3

CRAIB - Uncover the obvious assumptions.

ignore wider structures

self defeating - trying to assert patterns on non existent reality. If specific to context then suggests exists outside of context.

Question 4

Phenomenology

Answer 4

LUCKMAN ET AL - Society is a socially construct but once constructed it adopts an external reality that reflects back at us ie Religious belief -> Institutions.

HUSSERL- Create world view by categorising information from our senses.

SCHUTZ-
Typifications – We create categories and types from the information we gather from our senses. These are shared and create a sense of social order and he world - the world is these typifications. These are based on context not action. Follow habitually ie red = stop.

NATURAL ATTITUDE
We adopt a natural attitude that the world exists, as share meanibgs and assumptions. bookshop analogy.

Question 5

Integrated Approach - WEBER

Answer 5

WEBER-
Affectual action
Instrumental action
value action
traditional action.

Structure is a limit on our behaviour but our behaviour can also effect structure - Protestant work ethic.

BUT SCHUTZ - Too individualistic and actions take on double meanings - Trobriband gifts

Question 6

Integrated Approach - GIDDENS

Answer 6

STRUCTUATION

Structure gives rules and resources. Ie rules that we wear clothes and resources such as factories and shops so we can buy. Need this onotological security for conformity and stability.

BUT
Reflexivity means reflect on structure and change behaviour - ie laws such as homosexuality and marijuanna.
Unintentional change - Calvinists

BUT
Structural theorists say too much emphasis on free will - ARCHER - saves cannot end slavery
Action theorists say too much emphasis on structure.

Question 7

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

Answer 7

MEAD - Animals react instinctively to symbols, humans interpret them using the internal meanings they attach to the symbol, need to understand these meanings if wish to understand their behaviour.

BLUMER- Roles partly fixed and partly negotiable. 3 main features of the theory.

1) People act in terms of symbols and the meanings they have attached to them.
2) These meanings are created, developed and changed through interaction.
3) We gain our sense of self through interaction, by viewing ourselves from the other persons point of view. This enables the constant formation and negotiation of roles. ie Teacher is role but how play differs.

COOLEY - Looking glass self. Our self concept is reflected back at us from interactions with others. I am who I think you think I am.

GOFFMAN - Impression management, dramaturgical model. We play a role and determine how people see us using symbols. ROLE DISTANCE - some distance between us and role, we determine how play.

BECKER AND LEMERT- Career of identity.