Theory and Methods- Perspectives (Interactionism) (5)

Question 1

What is Interactionism?

Answer 1

-micro-approach: focuses on individuals or small groups.
- interpretivist methodology
-behaviour driven by beliefs, meanings + feelings.
- people have free will/ choice (voluntarism)

Question 2

What does Interactionism consist of?

Answer 2

-Social action theory.
-Symbolic Interactionism.
- Labelling Theory.
-Phenomenology
-Ethnomethodology.

Question 3

What did Weber believe about social action theory?

Answer 3

• to understand society-> use structural + action approaches.

Question 4

What are the 3 levels of sociological explanation?

Answer 4

1. Structural cause.
2. Verstehen
3. Social actions.

Question 5

Structural causes:

Answer 5

• changes in social structure -> changes in people’s world view.

Question 6

Verstehen:

Answer 6

• understand meaning before you can understand the cause.

Question 7

Social Actions:

Answer 7

• Instrumental Action
• Value Rational Action
• Traditional Action
• Affectual Action.

Question 8

What does Instrumental Action mean?

Answer 8

• based on the most efficient means.

Question 9

What does Value-Rational Action mean?

Answer 9

• something is important for its own sake.

Question 10

What does Traditional Action mean?

Answer 10

• based on a habit.

Question 11

What does Affectual Action mean?

Answer 11

• based on an emotion.

Question 12

Social Action Theory Evaluation:

Answer 12

• Schutz: Weber does not explain shared meanings.
• Weber focuses too much on individual meanings.
• Difficult to classify actions just 1 of the 4 types.
  (action can fall into more than one type.)
• Meanings can be interpreted differently by different people.

-Verstehen:
impossible to truly put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Question 13

What is symbolic interactionism?

Answer 13

• focuses on meanings people use to direct their actions.

Question 14

What are the key principles of SI?

Answer 14

• actions based on meanings given to situations, events and people.
• meanings based on interactions and experiences
• meanings fluid + negotiable.

Question 15

What does GH Mead think about SI? (1)

Answer 15

Interpretive procedures:

• individuals develop the concept of “self” through interaction with others.
• understanding how others perceive us -> develop self-concept.
• placing yourself into the roles of others = understanding their reaction.

-most human interaction is symbolic.

Question 16

What does Cooley think about SI? (1)

Answer 16

Looking Glass Self:

• Self-concept = view of yourself.

-Role taking develops self-concept

• people observe themselves from the standpoint of others.

-A person’s view of self comes from their perception of the way others see them.

Question 17

What does Blumer think about SI? (1)

Answer 17

• actions are based on meanings given to situations, events, people and what is appropriate.
• meanings based on interactions + experiences
  } shaped over time not fixed.
• people can change their interpretation of a situation.
  i.e: if you commit an action with consequences, you are less likely to do it again.

Question 18

What does WI Thomas think about SI? (1)

Answer 18

“If we believe something to be true we will behave as if it is true.”

• if we attach a label to something, it will affect the way we act + has RL consequences.

Question 19

What does Goffman think about SI? (1)

Answer 19

Dramaturgical Model:

Our roles are interchangeable:
- front stage self -> who we are around people.
- back stage self -> True self.

-Impression management:
} people adapt to give particular impressions of themselves through clothing body/language to present themselves in a desirable way.

-uses analogy of drama to analyse social interaction.

Question 20

Evaluation for SI (1):

Answer 20

• more of an observation + description than explanation
• ? do labels come from?
• or constant patterns of behaviour in society.

-? do meanings come from?

Question 21

Who is the sociologist behind the idea of Ethnomethadology? (2)

Answer 21

• Garfinkel.
  } interested in how social order is maintained.
  } society created from “bottom up”.
  } believes in indexicality - nothing has a fixed meaning, it depends on the social context.

Question 22

What is Ethnomethadology? (2)

Answer 22

• How the process of social interactions produces social order.
• focuses on the capacities of people as a collective rather than individualising.
• focuses on how meanings were created.

Question 23

What does Indexicality mean in Ethnomethadology? (2)

Answer 23

• everything is dependent on the context.
  -meanings are dependent on their context.

Question 24

What does Reflexicality mean? (2)

Answer 24

• use of common sense to determine meanings of behaviour
  -so we can maintain social order.

Question 25

Phenomenology: Schutz: (2)

Answer 25

Typification:
- categories + concepts shared with other members of society.
- allow us to stabilise meanings + make sure we agree on meanings of things
} makes it possible to cooperate + communicate.

-W/O typifications, social order would not be possible

Question 26

Phenomenology: Husserl: (2)

Answer 26

• The World -> product of individual mind.
• The world only makes sense because we classify + clarify information into mental categories.
• only get knowledge through the process of categorising.

-Receipt Knowledge:
being able to interpret behaviour, action etc. W/O thinking about it.

Question 27

Evaluation for SI (2):

Answer 27

• The world is an external reality once shared meanings are created i.e: religion.
• Shared common sense is a ruling class ideology
  } serves the interest of Capitalism.