Theories and methods- Theories Paper 1 &3 Flashcards
Social action theory
Schutz (1972)
Phenomena- this with similar charateristsic according to our senses. Schutz (1972) called these shred categories ‘typifications’ we also use our common sense interpretations to categories all of these breeds under they typification of categories like ‘dog’
Social action theory
purpose of the study of phenomenology
Studies phenomena- How the world is categorised by human choice rather than an objective process. understand the characterists which lead us placing something in a particular mental category
Social action theorists believe research should look at phenomenon as you can observe it and understanding it in the contact of the person or group being researched.
Social action theory
Grakfinkel Reflexivity
Garfinkel believed that the social meaning that people share cannot be taken for granted because they are potentially unclear. He was interested in what he called reflexivity. The way that 2 individuals in a social interaction will mirror each others behaviours and talk in such a way that the interaction makes sense to both of them
Ethnomethodology and structure
looks at how people construct and make sense of social activity
by finding the common sense rules that govern all social interactions and situations
people unconsciously share complex unwritten rules using this common sense knowledge.
Investigating social meaning
Ethnomethodedologists Grafinkel
- Conversational analysts recording the conversation, routine social interactions to identify shared meaning.
2.Informal social experiments- a set of social experiments that aim to break accepted rules that underpin family life and challenge reflexivity.
He said this showed that social order is not inevitable but it is happens by people sharing rules about how the interaction should evolve.
Evaluation of ethnomethodology
+ it changed the idea that people are the puppets of society. suggests all social behaviour is socially constructed depends on the unconscious sharing and mirroring of unconscious rules about how interaction and conversation should happen .
x Structuralists argue everyday reality are still influenced by social forces: social class, patriarchy, power structures beyond control of most individuals
Social action theory
Weber
-observed there are different sets of social meanings that helped to account for social action.
-based on structure and action theory -both a macro & micro to understand what external forces people are venerable to.
-Used history and sociology to come up with his idea.
-Sociologists should use their empathy to understand human action Verstehen
-They must put themselves in people shoes to understand why they behave as they do and not just simply judge.
Social action theory
webers 4 classfication of actions
+ evaluation
Instrumental rational action- Individual decide best way to achieve there goal.
Value rational action- action you take towards a goal that is desired to you.
Traditional action- Actions based on routine and custom. Not rational lacks conscious thought or choice done simply because “it’s always been done.”
Effectual action- Actions driven by emotion, like crying from grief or violence from anger. Central to religion and political movements led by charismatic leaders, who inspire followers through emotional appeal.
Evaluation- Other social action theorists believe he is too individualistic and fails to explain how meaning is shared between people in society.
Parson- functionalism
Organic analogy
Society is like a body institution (organs) work together to maintain balance.
Both need basics to survive (e.g., humans need nutrition, society needs socialization).
Functions: Each part contributes to meeting the system’s needs (e.g., the economy sustains society, like food sustains the body).
Parson- functionalism
value consensus
Values consequences- agreement social values that are desirable worthwhile and worth striving for. essential for order in society.
2 mechanisms that help provide social order-
socialisation- individuals are taught to want to do what is needed to be done. Norms & values are internalised
social control- positive reward conforming and negative ones punish deviance (follow rues going to school creates a qualified submissive work force positive sanctions promotion, qualifications negative sanctions detention being fired)
parson- functionalist
4 basic needs
Goal Attainment: Setting goals and deciding resource allocation (meritocracy).
Adaptation: Providing a basic standard of life for survival (economic function).
Integration: Maintaining social harmony through institutions like education.
Latency: Managing social order:
Pattern Maintenance: Socializing youth into shared values.
Tension Management: Reducing stress via institutions like family (e.g., Warm Bath Theory).
Traditional societies
Modern Societies
collective- individuals put themselves collective first.
A scribed status- status in society decided from birth.
Particularistic standards- People were judged by different standards based on their position.
Specificity- Social relationships were specific and professional.
Affective neutrality- People aim to satisfy their needs
immediately.
Individual- Individuals pursue their own self-interest.
Achieved status- status is based on your talent/ abilities.
Universalistic standards- Everyone judged by the same standards
Diffuseness- Social relationships and interactions are integrated.
Affectivity- People defer or postpone their need for gratification
Functionalism evaluation cons & pros
-Conflict perspective criticism: Society not harmonious. This view ignores statue inequality.Postmodernist criticism: Today’s society is so fragmented that no one way to explain society.
-Provided a basis for other sociologists to develop further theories and ideas, It explains how and why society changes over time. Marxists believe that Functionalists support capitalism and inequality.
Merton criticise parson
Parsons model is to simple for a complex society. Failed to recognise the distinction between:
Manifest functions– intended and recognised
consequences
Latent functions – unintended consequences
-Dysfunction – some parts of the social structure don’t work as intended, there can sometimes be negative
consequences
marxism- HISTORICAL MATERIALISM
Humans work to meet material needs (food, clothing) via means of production (tools, labor).
Industrialization created Bourgeoisie: Own production means. Proletariat: exploited for work.
Economic Base shapes society. Superstructure are ideas, institutions, and beliefs arise from the economic base
marxism- CLASS SOCIETY & EXPLOITATION
In early human societies, there were no classes, private ownership or exploitation. Everyone works and everything is shared. Marx calls this ‘primitive communism’.
The forces of production is growing. In modern society, the ruling class control society’s ‘surplus product’. This is the difference between what labourers produce, and what is needed simply to keep them alive and working.
marxism- CAPITALISM
Capitalism based on division between bourgeoisie and the proletariat. It is different from other class societies because of 4 key features:
1) Workers are legally free. Sell their labour power in return for wages to survive.
2) They have fewer employers. Competition forces low wages, causing the immiseration of the proletariat.
3) Capitalism constantly add to there force of production in pursuit of profit.
4) Concentration of ownership causes class polarisation.
marxism- CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS
ALIENATION
-Marx says capitalism creates its own destruction.
-By separating the classes growing the WC and reducing their wages, they can develop consciousness and overthrow the ruling class.
-The proletariat moves from being a class in itself, to becoming a class for itself
-Majority overthrowing the minority, ending. Abolish the state and create a classless, communist society. End exploitation, alienation, and private ownership. create social ownership and prioritize human needs over profit.
Marx believed alienation is where people feel seperated from the results of their work.
marxism- IDEOLOGY
-Class that owns production also controls the ideas
-Dominant ideas of society are the ideas of the ruling class. Produced and spread by institutions (religion media)
-All serve the dominant class by producing ideologies (sets of ideas and beliefs that legitimise the existing social order as desirable or inevitable).
-Ideology create a false consciousness in the WC maintain class inequality.
The state: “armed bodies of men” serving the RC, protecting property, suppressing opposition, and preventing revolution.
Marxism evaluation Cons
Marx has a simplistic, one-dimensional view of inequality. He sees class as the only important division. Weber argues that status and power can also be important sources of inequality.
-Class polarisation has not occured. The WC has shrunk whilst the middle class has expanded.
-He is economically deterministic.
Marxism Gramsci
Hegemony economic and ideological control
Hegemony refers to the dominance of the RC through economic and ideological influence.
Ideology shapes how people think, ensuring they accept the status as natural or inevitable.
They done rebell as the WC often fails to develop an alternative vision of society due to the influence of the RC’s ideology.
This focus on control of minds expands beyond Marx’s economic determinism, highlighting the critical role of culture and ideas in maintaining RC power.
Radical feminism- Firestone (1974)
All societies are patriarchy and male dominated
sexual politics
Firestone patriarchy is due to woman biological factor being the child leads to care for children. Happens in work and private e.g. family, domestic labour, sexual relationships.
All relationships that contain one person having power and controlling another are political. Therefore personal relationships are as men dominate. Known as sexual political.
Patriarchy constructs sexuality women to satisfy men. (women in porn portrayed as passive objects)
Radical feminists- Gemaine Greer (2000)
separatism, consciouses, political lesbianism
separatism- living apart from men. Creating a new culture of female independence. Free from patriarchy. Gemaine Greer (2000) argues ‘matrilocal’ households as an alternative to the heterosexual family.
Consciouses- women see that other women face the same problems. Come together to fight against it
Political lesbianism- heterosexual relationships lead to oppression as it involve sleeping with the enemy lesbianism is the only non-oppressive for of sexuality.
Radical feminism evaluation
+ intimate relationships can involve domination.
x Marxists say capitalism is the main for of woman’s oppression.
x offers not explanation of why women subordination takes different forms in different societies. It also ignores different between women (class, ethnicity)
Symbolic interactionalism
People act in terms of symbols like objects, words that stand for something else and to which individuals have attached meaning’s they. Develop out of the interaction with other. People can only develop a conception of themselves by understanding how others see them. unable to interact with others unless they can do this.
