Structuralism and Action
- Created by: lw121x
- Created on: 28-05-15 15:32
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- Structural approaches and social action
- Consensus Theories
- Society is harmonious
- consensus
- Shared values = social order
- Socialisation
- Predictable behaviour
- each part serves a role
- Conflict Theories
- benefit at expense of others
- institutions socialisation = control
- inequality a norm
- Punished if they do not conform
- Structural = influenced by major structural forces. Social action = individuals operate as free agents
- Social Action Theory
- Social order a social construction
- Social action theorists argue social order isn't generated by institutions
- order is a construction a product of someones mind.
- They say people want to believe there is order so they behave in a way that convinces them there is
- Social action theorists argue social order isn't generated by institutions
- Rejects Sociology Objective
- Everyone can put different labels to the same thing
- Can't predict behaviours - people don't act passively
- Weber
- avoid generalising theories not determined by laws
- social science should proceed understanding human action
- 4 types of social action:
- traditional - custom habit ie. gift
- Affective- driven by emotion ie. cry at funeral
- rational Value Orientated Action - overriding idea or value ie. committed to religion so pray
- Rational goal orientated; predict likely results in relation to goal
- Criticisms
- Schutz too individualistic doesn't explain shared nature of meanings
- can be in more than 1 category
- Webers 'vertenhen' we can never understand individuals
- Symbolic Interactionism - Mead
- society shaped by meanings we attach to everyday things.
- reality is constructed- via lang
- Labelling Theory
- application to Symbolic Interactionism
- self fulfilling p
- master status
- BECK
- CRITICISMS :
- cannoy explain why some are more powerful
- application to Symbolic Interactionism
- Evaluation:
- 70 yrs old still symbols
- must be some form of consensus for all to abide symbols
- Blumer people do not react automaticallyinterpret it first. Meanings are not fixed. Rules + structures restrict interpretation but not fixed
- Social order a social construction
- Giddens - ON NEITHER SIDE
- believed structure and action exist independently but are intimately related
- social actions create structures but we produce/ reproduce them
- Structuration - relatestructures to actions
- 'Dulaity structure' structures make social action possible vice versa
- ie. English lang. Sets rules but need to be spoken
- Humans agents reproduce/ transform
- Criticisms
- Archer 1995- giddens underestimates power of structures to resist change ie slaves want change but lack power to do so
- Fails to apply large scale ie. economy
- Consensus Theories
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