Weberian viewpoint Flashcards
why was Weber a social action theorist
weber believed that people could act to change social structures and influence their own life chances
weber and structuralism
he did not dismiss the importance of social structures and the limits they place on choice
webers opinion on economic determinism
economic determism is important, but Marx over emphasises the importance of it
economic determinism is where capitalism determines everything else in society and institutions work to serve the needs of capitalism by transmitting ruling class ideology
what did Weber identify in his work: ‘The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism’
identified the role of religious ideas in generating changes in the economic structure
through this he showed that individual meanings, motives, beliefs and ideologies can change the structures of society
Webers opinion on Marx
agreed with Marx to an extent, but thought he was too deterministic
he also thought there is a struggle for power and status as well as economic assets
what were Weber’s 3 dimensions of power
class, status and party
the separate but the related sources of power have overlapping effects on people’s life chances
what did Weber think an individual’s class position was based upon
their relationship to the means of production and their market situation (an individuals capacity to obtain financial rewards for selling their skills in the marketplace)
where did Weber think the ability to possess power came from
an individual’s ability to control various ‘social resources’
resouces can be anything like - land, capital, physical strength and knowledge
what did Weber think the ability to exercise power is
the ability to get your own way with others, regardless of their ability to resist you.
what did weber see classes as and what did he argue should be added to this concept
economic categories organised around property ownership
argued that the concept should be extended to include occupational skill, because this created different life chances
what were the 4 distinct social classes Weber identified
1) a propertied class (upper class)
2) White Collar Professionals (upper middle class)
3) petty bourgeoisie (lower middle class)
4) working class (lower class)
why was the concept of status groups rather than social groups central to Weber’s theory of stratification
we often make positive or negative judgements about people based upon their social standing and level of respect and prestige which can impact their life chances
define social closure - weber
status groups with high social standing may cut off opportunities to those with lower status
e.g. may select people of a certain class or status for a job
propertied class
have money, status and political power
professional class
have status, some money and some political power
petty bourgeoise
have less status, money and power but are significant in their own communities
working class
little or no status, class and political power
others have no social resources because they have no skills to sell
how is webers stratification different from Marx’s
Marx only has 2 classes and Weber has 4
Marx’s classes are based on economic determinism, and Weber argued occupation was also important
pluralist
power is distributed between a variety of different groups in society in differing amounts
how does weber believe society is held together compared to Marx? and how does this make Weber a pluralist?
Weber believes society is held together through tradition and habit, which is different to Marx’s belief that it is held together through deliberate exercise of social control
how did Weber influence Goldthorpe’s 7 point class scale
Goldthorpe was influenced by Weber’s idea of the fragmentation of social class
Barron and Norris - neo-weberianism - Dual-labour market
the labour market is divided into the primary and secondary sector
differ significantly in terms of job quality, conditions, and opportunities for advancement
primary labour market - full time, permanent, well paid and high status work
secondary labour market - part time, temporary, lower paid and low status work
How did Giddens develop Weber’s ideas to apply them to contemporary society?
points out that modern changes have made social class even more complex
the shift from industrial to post-industrial economies has transformed job types, income distribution and economic opportunities
argues social mobility has become more fluid, but still is significant in determining life chances and opportunities
