action theories

Question 1

Webers 2 levels of human behaviour

Answer 1

level of cause- explaining objective structural factors that shape behaviour
level of meaning-understanding subjective meanings that individuals attach to actions

Question 2

weber’s study on Calvinism

Answer 2

-At the level of structural cause the protestant reformation introduced a new belief system: calvinism.
-This promoted a work ethic that brought about the rise of capitalism.
subjective meaning: work took on a religious meaning for predestination which motivated them to work systematically.

Question 3

Weber’s 4 types of action

Answer 3

instrumentally rational, value rational, traditional, affectual

Question 4

instrumentally rational action

Answer 4

actor calculates most efficient means of achieving a goal

Question 5

value-rational action

Answer 5

action towards a goal that the actor regards as desirable for its own sake. eg worshipping for heaven
no way of calculating if its effective like instrumentally rational

Question 6

traditional action

Answer 6

routine or habitual action. no conscious thought or choice gone into it

Question 7

affectual action

Answer 7

expresses emotion

Question 8

AO3 of weber

Answer 8

-Schutz- weber’s view of action too individualistic and cant explain shared nature of meanings
-weber’s typology of action difficult to apply
-advocated use of verstehen

Question 9

3 sociologists in symbolic interactionism

Answer 9

Mead, Blumer, Goffman

Question 10

Mead’s 2 key ideas

Answer 10

symbol versus instinct
taking the role of the other

Question 11

Mead- symbols versus instincts

Answer 11

animals- fixed pre-programmed instincts.
we give meanings by attaching symbols to the world.
we do not respond to stimulus. instead, interpretive phase

Question 12

Mead- taking the role of the other

Answer 12

our ability to take the role develops through social interaction
young children- through imitative play

Question 13

Blumer- 3 principles

Answer 13

1. actions based on meanings we give to situations, people
2. these meanings arise from interaction process. Negotiable
3. meanings we give to situations are the result of the interpretive procedures we use.

Question 14

Blumer’s AO3 of functionalism

Answer 14

our action is partly predictable because we internalise expectations of others

Question 15

Cooley- looking glass self

Answer 15

we develop our self concept from our ability to take the role of other. A self fulfilling prophecy occurs. We become what we think others see us as

Question 16

cooley- career

Answer 16

we can develop a master status in the eyes of society

Question 17

Goffman- dramaturgical model

Answer 17

we actively construct ourselves by manipulating others impressions of us.
front stage, back stage, performing
constantly studying audience to see how they respond, language, tone of voice

Question 18

Goffman’s AO3 of functionalism

Answer 18

we aren’t tightly scripted by society through socialisation but there is a role distance between our real self and our roles.
roles are loosely scripted by society

Question 19

Strengths of symbolic interactionism

Answer 19

largely avoids determinism of structural theories. People create society through their choices and meanings

Question 20

2 AO3 of symbolic interactionism

Answer 20

more a loose collection of descriptive concepts than an explanatory theory
Reynolds- interactionism lacks structure. questionnaire to 124 interactionists. only 2 chose power or class as crucial concepts

Question 21

Weber & Goffman- A03

Answer 21

not all action is meaningful- can be unconscious or routine
interactions are often improvised and unrehearsed

Question 22

Phenomenology

Answer 22

the world only makes sense because we impose order and meaning through typifications

Question 23

Schutz phenomenology theory

Answer 23

typifications- organise our experiences into a shared world of meaning eg language
varies according to context eg raising your hand
shared assumptions- recipe theory eg red light

Question 24

schutz natural attitude

Answer 24

the social world is a solid natural thing out there

Question 25

AO3 of Schutz

Answer 25

an external reality reacts back on us eg religious ideas begin in consciousness then embodied in churches which then constrain us

Question 26

Ethnomethodology- Garfinkel

Answer 26

social order is an accomplishment that members of society actively construct everyday using common sense knowledge

Question 27

how does ethnomethodology differ from interactionism

Answer 27

interactionists are interested in the effects of meanings and EM is interested in methods we use to produce these meanings in the first place

Question 28

Garfinkel- indexicality

Answer 28

nothing has a fixed meaning. depends on context this is a threat to social order because if meanings are unstable, cooperation and social relationships can break down

Question 29

paradox of indexicality

Answer 29

suggests we cannot take any meaning for granted as fixed or clear yet in everyday life this is exactly what we do.

Question 30

reflexivity

Answer 30

we use common sense knowledge in everyday interactions to construct a sense of meaning and stop indexicality from occuring eg language, when we describe something we are creating it

Question 31

suicide and reflexivity

Answer 31

coroners make sense of death by selecting particular features from infinite number of facts about deceased. these patterns are social constructs. conventional sociology is common sense rather than objective knowledge

Question 32

Garfinkel EM study

Answer 32

breaching- his students acted as lodgers in their own homes (being polite, avoiding being personal) aimed to disrupt sense of order and challenge their reflexivity by undermining their assumptions about situations. eg accused students of being ill therefore social order is participant produced

Question 33

AO3 of ethnomethodology

Answer 33

findings are trivial. spend a lot of time uncovering taken for granted rules. eg phone convos one person speaks at a time. -if everyone creates order and meaning by identifying patterns then this must apply to EM itself

Question 34

what is Giddens structuration theory

Answer 34

a unified theory of structure and action

Question 35

giddens structuration theory

Answer 35

duality of structure structure and action are two sides of the same coin, neither can exist without the other our actions reproduce these structures

Question 36

example of giddens structuration theory

Answer 36

language- we must obey its rules otherwise we wont be understood structure also depends on action eg language wouldnt exist if no one used it

Question 37

giddens- 2 elements of structure

Answer 37

rules- norms and laws that govern action resources- both economic and power over us -

Question 38

ontological security

Answer 38

we have a deep seated need for this. need to feel the world is both physically and socially orderly, stable and predictable

Question 39

changes of structure through agency

Answer 39

reflexively monitor our own actions our actions can change the world, but not always as expected. unintended consequences. eg weber=calvinists=capitalism

Question 40

A03 of giddens

Answer 40

Archer- he underestimates the capacity of structures to resist change eg poor dont want poverty but lack power Craib- it isnt a theory because doesnt explain what happens in society, just describes things we will find when studying society