social action theory (interactionalism)

Question 1

weber and the study of society

Answer 1

• society needs to be studied by understanding the structural change and the personal meaning that people attach to the change which forces it to happen
• for example to understand the structural change of calvinism causing capitalism you need to understadn the personal meaning that protestants have.
  for exmaple to beleif in pre-destination created the idea that if your business was doing well you were part of god’s chosen ‘elect’ which mean you were going to heaven. therefore this asetic lifestyle of making lots of money and retianing it in order to go oto heaven created capitalism

cant just look at society structres you need to have an empathetic approach

Question 2

criticsm of weber

Answer 2

over exaggerates the role of the invidual in sctrucal changes.

for example scotland was a very calvinist place with the same protestant beleifs however cpaitlaism took longer to develop there

Question 3

mead instinct of humans

Answer 3

unlike animals who act on instinct, humans act on their interpretation of the situation

people base their emotions and action sbased on their interpretation of the situation and their own moral compass rather than having all their actions determined by a value concencus that is passed down through a top down structure

for example not everyone comits crime, some peopel comit crime baed on theri own interpretaion of sitiations such as non untilitarian crime such as a fight. thsi si a value or norm but an interpreation of the situation

people have free will

Question 4

criticsm of mead

Answer 4

funstionalists argue this isnogres teh importance of socialisation in the family and education and how important the norms and values are that children are taught in order to scoeity not to crumble

people have learnt resonpsed through socialistation rather than responding to the context

Question 5

goffmanss dramatalogical approach

Answer 5

goffman argues that humans are just actors who change their act depending on their audience (impression management)

therefore peole ahve the free will to change how they react based on who they are around. this shows that human interactions are very much based on individualism rather than being determined by societal sructures

for example when a teacher is being observed they will change their act due to the difference in audience

Question 6

labelling and delf fufilling phropehcy

Answer 6

we label a certain sitiuation (ex. defining someone as deviant)

we then develop our own self concept of the interpretation of the label that is placed upon them (self-fufillin phrophecy) a child has been labelled as clever and treated different which makes them see themselves in that way

leading to a career (becker) individuals lead a specific path inlife (ex labeeling osmoen as deviant will make them have a deviant career)

Question 7

criticsm of labelling

Answer 7

unlike other social action theories labelling is too determinsitic which doenst allow people to make thier on actions and that people act in the way that other people see them

Question 8

criticsm of goffmann

Answer 8

ignores the limits upon people such as class or ethnicity not everyone has complete free will to do whatever you want