Social Action Theories Key Concepts

Question 0

Verstehen

Answer 0

Empathetic understanding. A method used to interpret the meanings and motives that guide action

Question 1

Social action theory

Answer 1

Another name for symbolic interaction ism; social action theories focus on how society is built up from people interacting with each other

Question 2

Ideal type

Answer 2

A classification of something into pure types- e.g weber’s types of action

Question 3

Instrumentally rational action

Answer 3

Action in which both goals and the means to attain them are rationally assessed

Question 4

Value-rational action

Answer 4

The goals are fixed and the means are rationally assessed

Question 5

Traditional action

Answer 5

Both goals and means are fixed by tradition

Question 6

Affective action

Answer 6

Action is directed by emotion, with no clearly defined goals

Question 7

Rationalisation

Answer 7

A process by which the world is increasingly governed by rational thought and action

Question 8

Disenchantment

Answer 8

The removal of religion, ‘magic’, warmth and humanity in an increasingly rational world

Question 9

Secularisation

Answer 9

A process by which religion looses it’s power and influence in society

Question 10

Symbolic interactionism

Answer 10

A theory associated with G.H. Mead that argues that people constantly work via symbols (language, writing,etc) to construct society through the process of social interaction

Question 11

Role taking

Answer 11

Putting oneself in the place of others and seeing one sled from the point of view of others

Question 12

Self

Answer 12

In Mead’s view, the self consists of 2 elements; the I and me

Question 13

Significant others

Answer 13

Specific other people who matter to the individual

Question 14

Generalised other

Answer 14

Society in general

Question 15

Play stage

Answer 15

The first stage in which a child acquires a social self. Involves seeing themselves from the point of view of significant others

Question 16

Game stage

Answer 16

The second stage in this process, where they see themselves from the point of view of groups rather than just individuals

Question 17

Dramaturgical analogy

Answer 17

Seeing a similarity between society and drama, and using this to illuminate social interaction.

Question 18

Impression management

Answer 18

The attempt by social actors to shape and control the impressions others have of then

Question 19

Performance

Answer 19

Any activity of a participant in social interaction which influences other participants

Question 20

Role distance

Answer 20

Distancing ourselves from the roles we are playing

Question 21

Ethnomethodology

Answer 21

Emphasises upon interpretation and social order as the active accomplishment of members did indeed offer a new way of looking at social order

Question 22

Typification

Answer 22

Any shared concept-e.g. Bacon, grass, death

Question 23

Documentary method

Answer 23

The method used by members of society to make sense of the world around them. It involves selecting certain aspects of the situation, then using them as evidence of the underlying pattern. New situations are then interpreted in terms of this pattern

Question 24

Reflexivity

Answer 24

As used by Garfinkel, explaining events in terms of underlying patterns and using these explanations to justify the existence of those patterns

Question 25

Indexicality

Answer 25

The meaning of an action is derived from the context in which it takes place