Action theories

• What is the numerical value associated with the term "Action Theories" in the study material?

  666
• What is the numerical value associated with the term "Action Theories" in the study material?

  118
• How do Action Theorists view individuals in society?

  As 'Social Actors' who act rather than react
• What do Action Theorists believe about people's choices?

  People make their own choices and take their own actions
• According to Action Theorists, what is society constructed from?

  People's meanings, interpretations, behaviors, and interactions
• What type of theories are Action Theories classified as?

  Micro-theories
• How do Action Theorists view social order?

  As a social construction generated by institutions
• What do Action Theorists believe about everyday life?

  It consists of a series of interpretations
• Why do Action Theorists argue that social order is a social construction?

  Because it is a product of individuals' minds
• What is an example of social behavior that reflects the belief in social order?

  Being polite to each other
• What do Action Theories reject about sociology?

  The idea that sociology is objective
• How do individuals interpret actions differently according to Action Theories?

  Based on the meanings they attach to those actions
• What does the subjectivity in sociology imply according to Action Theories?

  Sociologists can't predict people's behavior easily
• What is a criticism of Action Theories regarding subjectivity?

  They can reduce sociology to a mess of individual opinions
• Who started Social Action Theory?

  Max Weber
• What two levels did Weber argue are necessary to understand human behavior?

  The level of cause and the level of meaning
• How does the legalization of same-sex marriage illustrate Weber's two levels of understanding behavior?

  At the level of cause, it is allowed by law; at the level of meaning, it is based on love
• What are the four types of action according to Weber's Social Action Theory?

  • Instrumentally rational action: based on efficiency
  • Value rational action: taken for its own sake
  • Traditional action: based on habit
  • Affectual action: based on emotion
• What is a criticism of Social Action Theory regarding individual meanings?

  It focuses too much on individual meanings without explaining shared ones
• Why can it be difficult to classify actions into Weber's four types?

  Because actions may fit into more than one category
• What does Symbolic Interactionism focus on?

  How we relate to others through symbols
• What is an example of a symbolic action?


  Waving at a friend
• What does "taking the role of the other" mean in social interaction?

  Putting oneself in another's position to understand their perspective
• Who expanded on Mead's ideas in Symbolic Interactionism?

  Erving Goffman
• What does Ethnomethodology argue about society?

  That society is created from the bottom up
• What is indexicality in Ethnomethodology?

  The idea that meanings are dependent on context
• What is reflexivity in Ethnomethodology?


  Using common sense to determine meanings of behavior
• What do Structuration theorists believe about social structures?

  They are influenced by individual actions
• How do Structuration theorists view the relationship between individuals and social structures?

  Individuals conform to rules but can also change structures
• What do Structuration theorists argue about language?

  It survives only if people use it
• What is the assumption of Structuration theory regarding people's ability to change the world?


  People can manage to change the world fairly easily
• What is the main criticism of Structuration theory from Marxists and feminists?

  They disagree with the idea that individuals can easily change the world
• What are the key questions to consider regarding Action Theories?

  • What are the two levels that Weber used to understand human behavior?
  • What does taking the role of the other mean to social interactionists?
  • How does structuration combine both structuralism and action theory?
• What is the exam question related to Action Theories?

  Evaluate the idea that action theories provide the best way to understand society
• What is the focus of Action Theories compared to structural theories?

  Action theories focus on how society is constructed from individual actions
• What is the significance of spelling in the context of the study material?

  It emphasizes the importance of clear communication in sociology
• What does the phrase "the world is seen as subjective" imply in the context of Action Theories?

  It suggests that interpretations and assumptions shape our understanding of society
• How do Action Theorists view the relationship between social structures and individual actions?

  They see it as a dynamic interaction where individuals can influence structures
• What is the role of consensus and conflict in Action Theories?

  They are seen as ways through which social order is generated
• What is the implication of social order being a product of individuals' minds?

  It suggests that social order is maintained through shared beliefs and behaviors