Flashcards
Action Theories SCLY4
Cards in this deck (13)
- 1What kind of theory is Symbolic Interactionism?They differ in that they start from the opposite direction to Structural Theories (e.g. Functionalism & Marxism), focusing on a micro-level, face to face, interactionist approach that seeks to understand and identify the actions of individuals.
- 2What is Voluntarism? And how does it differ from Determinism (that characterises Structural Theories.)Voluntarism refers to the idea that individuals have more free will and choice in how they choose to interact/exist within society. Whereas Determinism refers to people's behaviour being determined for them by some external force (agencies of social control)
- The nature of the external force varies from subject to subject but in all cases, the key point is that the element of choice is removed from us, as humans, and lies beyond our capacity to change it.
- It is important to understand, however, that our inability to do things differently is not because we are physically compelled but because we literally do not believe or know that alternative real possibilities exist.
(alternatives have not been introduced or acknowledged by those with the power - thus one comes to accept the current way of living as a norm, and do not seek to change it.) - 3What are the main Action Theories?- Social Action Theory (Weber)
-Symbolic Interactionism (G H. Mead)
- Phenomenology (Schutz)
- Ethnomethodology (Garfinkel)
- Structural Action Theory (Giddens - 1964, the combination of the two.) - 4How are all of the Action Theories similar?All four theories emphasise the importance of recognising 'action' - however, the first two (Social Action and Social Interactionism) appear to acknowledge the influence/existence of the Social Structure and its' role, the others appear to question the validity of the role of the structure.
- 5Weber saw both structural & action approaches as necessary for understanding human behaviour - an adequate explanation of it would involve two levels. But what are the two levels?The Level of Cause - explaining the objective structural facts that shape behaviour
&
The Level of Meaning - understanding the subjective (personal) meaning that individuals attach to their actions. - 6What is an example of The Level Of Cause and the The Level of Meaning?Weber had a study called the Ethics of Protestant & The Spirit of Capitalism.
At a Structural Level - Protestants had a new belief system introduced, called Calvinism which put an emphasis on hard work. Essentially, people's world view altered and consequently so did their behaviour.
At the level of subjective meaning - individuals now associated hard work with their religion (as a calling from God), consequently accumulated wealth and therefore they became the first modern Capitalists.
Here one can acknowledge the combination of both structural and action theories in that they identify the wider societal issues that may have influenced the shift of behaviour, but then also focuses on the individuals' attachment to the behavioural shift and how they create meaning from it. - 7What are the four action types, based on the meaning for the actor?- Instrumentally Rational Action - the actor is able to identify the most efficient means of achieving a goal e.g. if one wants an iPhone, one must pay the fees towards it.
- Value-Rational Action - towards a goal that the actors regards as desirable for their own sake e.g. a hunger strike may not appear rational to the outsider, but is an entirely rational decision made by the actor to support an issue they believe in.
- Traditional Action - customary, routine or habitual action e.g. putting up the Christmas Tree, having turkey at the dinner table.
- Affectual Action - the expression of emotion e.g. weeping out of grief - 8Evaluation of the Four Types of Action- Other action theorists argue that Weber's Four Types of Action are too individualistic, and do not explain the shared nature of meanings - in that as groups we attach similar meanings to the same thing, it is not an entirely individual experience or process.
- 9Who coined the term Symbolic Interactionism and when?G H. MEAD
- 10What is Symbolic Interactionism?- Focuses on how we create meaning through social interactions in every day life.
- The interactions that we have are based on the meanings we give to situations (e.g. meeting up with a brother is very different to meeting up with an individual you are involved in a long distance relationship with) and how they are conveyed through symbols (especially language.) - 11Symbols Versus InstinctUnlike the animal kingdom, who are governed by instincts - we respond to the world by giving meaning to the things that are significant to us. We create a world of meanings by attaching symbols to the things around us.
- This opens up the idea of there being an interpretative stage in our communication with others between the stimulus and our response to it. We must attach our own meaning to the situation and interpret it.
- EXAMPLE? If I was in a social situation and someone shook their fist at me, this has a variety of symbols attached to it societally. I'd have to figure out whether the symbol was being used to express anger, or in a humorous way. - 12Taking the role of others (G H. MEAD)G H. MEAD also discusses the idea of interpreting other people's meaning by taking their role i.e. putting ourselves in their place, and then seeing ourselves the way they see us (links to looking glass - COOLEY)
- The ability to interpret meaning develops through interaction. Young children internalise significant others such as parents (and what they say/react to ones' behaviour) and then later on in life we see ourselves from the point of view of society in general - the generalised other. - 13Why are shared symbols so important?Without shared symbols, such as language, we would not be able to see ourselves as others see us. Consequently, one would exist within society with no clear knowledge about ones' place within it or the role of which to play. Through appropriating (through interaction) an understanding of ourself, we are better able to understand the world around us.
In simple terms, this principle says that when we talk to each other, symbolic interaction means that humans identify meaning, or naming, and then they develop discourse, which is communication orally.
When you name something, it suddenly gives it a meaning (thus it can be understood and interpreted… the very nature of human kind is to seek to do this in our interactions) e.g. if one was to call my dog Lucifer - this is often associated with the Devil. This could have been a deliberate choice so as to convey to others the tendency for the dog to be mean/bite people.
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- Flashcards on Action Theories SCLY4, created by merryreindeer on 29/05/2014.
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