Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Sociological
Theories Action
Theories
- Definitions
- Structural Theories
- Macro - Look
at society as a
whole
- Top Down
Approach
- Deterministc
- explain how
society shapes
the people
- EXAMPLEs:
Functionalists /
Maxists /
Feministis
- Action Theories
- MICRO - sees
individuals as having
free will & interactions
- Bottom Up
Approach
- EXAMPLES:
Social Action
Theories /
interactionism /
Phenomenology /
Ethnomethnology
- !) Social Action Theories
- Interpretivism
- Criticism of
Structural
Theories
- Come up with a
theory then find
evidence
- Small groups of people, examining how they are influenced by those around
them.
- Max Weber
- stressed the need to see
the world through the eyes
of those involved
- Known as Verstehen
- Therefore gaining a deep
understanding through empathy,
often using methods such as,
extended participant observaton.
- However
- He saw BOTH structural and actions approaches
as necessary for understanding human behaviour,
arguing that an adequate explanation involves to
levels:
- The level of cause
- Structural e.g.
Protestant
reformation
introduced a
new belief
system -
Calvinism
- The Level of Meaning
- Subjective meanings
individuals attach to
their actions e..g.. Work
had a religious meaning
for Calvinist - work was
a calling by God -
became first modern
capitalists (by accident!)
- Another Example
- David Gillborn (1990)
- Study showed Afro - Carribean
pupils are more likely to be
reprimanded by teachers than
Asian pupils whose behaviour was
similar.
- Gillborn identified this through 2 years of
observations at a comprehensive school (Verstehen) &
then made the link between the attitude of teachers &
racism in a wider society (structure)
- BOTTOM UP Approach
- 2) Symbolic Interactionism
- Focuses on how we
choose to present
ourselves and others see us,
- James (1890)
identified 3
different version
of 'the self'
- Spiritual Self
- Our
underlying
personality
- Material Self
- The appearance
we present to the
rest of the world
- Social Self
- concept of ourselves as a
result of others reactions
- Codley (1922)
- 'the looking glass self'
- links with labelling
theory
- Goffman (1959)
- Similar idea but related
behaviours to the Theatre
- Dramaturgical analogy -
'front region' - self we
show the world. 'Back
Regions' - how we
behave in informal
enviroments
- E.G. - Teacher in
classroom Vs
Teacher in
Staffroom
- 3) Phenomenology
- Another branch of
social action theory
- Examines the social
construction of a
particular phenomena &
how this impacts on
peoples attitudes and
behaviour
- Jack Douglas (1967)
- studied the concept
of suicide has for
the deceased.
- For some it may be a cry for
help, for others a way of getting
revenge, & for some it is an act
of spiritual hope of reaching a
better place
- According to Douglas, the meaning
of suicide is CONSTRUCTED by the
individual.. It cannot be regarded as a
single type of act
- How people view childhood and Crime &
Deviance has also been studies
extensively to find out how we 'construct'
different 'phenomena' such as childhood
or crime in a particular society and what
it MEANS to us at a particular time, place
or social context
- 4) Ethnomethodology
- Examines how people speak to each
other & interact in everyday
conversations & in relationships at
home,
- Study of unspoken rules & what
happens if they are broken e.g. having a
door open for someone (or not), invadng
personal space, responding at length to a
social 'how are you?'
- The Point?
- identifying norms in
society & recognising how
we take them for granted
and how essential they
are for social norms.
- + for
comparing
behaviours
across
different
societies
- 5) Structuration
- Giddens (1984)
- Suggests that to take
either of our role in
contemporary society is to
oversimplify matters
- We are as somewhat
constrained by
structural factors such
as gender, age and
income but we are also
free to some extent to
take action to change
our circumstances.
- Hence Giddens
calls his theory
structuration
- a combination of
the words structure
& action