Action theory Flashcards
What are the action theories ?
Social action theories
Symbolic interactionism
Labelling theory
Phenomenology
Ethnomethodology
Interpritivism
What is the main idea action theories attempt to convey ?
That all aspects of the world are just socially constructed meanings
What does Weber say we need to know in order to understand human behaviour ?
Structural cause
Subjective meaning
What are the different types of social action ?
Instrumental- rationally chosen means to attain a goal
Value rational- Striving for goals that may not be rational
Affectual- Action via emotional means Traditional- Goals guided by habits
What is symbolic interactionism ?
The idea that unique objects and people around us that evoke meanings and feelings that may be shared or individual
What are the ideas about the self in symbolic interactionism shared by Blumer and Mead ?
The idea that in order to respond to the meanings of these symbols, we must first know who we are in this world of symbols and meanings
What was Charles Cooley’s idea about the looking glass self ?
We develop a concept of who we are through these labels/symbols, we see ourselves mirrored in the way they respond to us
What was Erving Goffman’s Dramaturgical Approach ?
Human social behaviour is seen as scripted, people take roles and create roles which are key mechanisms of social interaction
Phenomenology is the interpretation of meanings, what is Husserl’s philosophy on Phenomenology ?
The world only make sense because we impose meaning and order on it by constructing mental categories that we use to classify information from our senses
What did Schutz understand regarding Phenomenology ?
We share meaning and categories with those around us, members of society to a large extent have a shared ‘life world’ a stock of shared typifications
what is Ethnomethodology ?
A method of sociological analysis that examines how individuals use everyday conversation to construct a common-sense view of the world
What did Garfinkle suggest ?
There was no such thing as ‘society’ and that social order is achieved by individuals making effective interpretations
People are seen as rational actors, but employ practical reasoning rather than formal logic, what are the 2 ways Ethnomethodology says we can make sense of the world ?
Indexicality- Where meaning depends solely on context
Reflexivity- Where we use our common sense to construct meaningand prevent indexicality
What is Giddens structural theory ?
Duality structures make social action possible
For Giddens what are the 2 elements structure has ?
Rules – the norms, customs and laws that govern action
Resources – Both economic and power over others
