Action Theory

• What type of approach do structural theories use?

  Macro approaches
• What do structural theories focus on in society?

  Institutions that dictate norms and values
• What is the consequence of acting against societal norms according to structural theories?

  Ends in prison or social exclusion
• What type of approach do action theories use?

  Micro approach
• What do action theories focus on?

  Individuals and their interactions
• Why do action theorists believe behavior is shaped?

  Through interpretation and negotiation with others
• What are the main features of action theories?

  1. Society and structures are socially constructed
  2. People have free will and form identities
  3. Research focuses on small-scale individual actions
  4. Behavior is driven by beliefs, meaning, and emotions
• How do action theories view society and social structures?

  As socially constructed
• What do action theories say about people's free will?

  People have free will to form identities
• What drives people's behavior according to action theories?

  Beliefs, meaning, and emotions in situations
• What two theories is Weber's theory based on?

  Structural and action theory
• Why did Weber combine micro and macro theories?

  To understand external forces on individuals
• What two disciplines did Weber fuse in his ideas?

  History and sociology
• How should sociologists approach understanding human action according to Weber?

  By using empathy to understand behavior
• What is necessary for sociologists to understand people's behavior?

  To put themselves in people's shoes
• What is instrumentality rational action?

  Calculating the most efficient means to a goal
• What defines traditional action?

  Customs and habitual actions that are automatic
• What is affectual action?

  Action that expresses emotion
• How is power perceived in Weber's view today?

  Embedded in the knowledge of a few individuals
• What do other social action theorists criticize about Weber's approach?

  It is too individualistic
• What does Symbolic Interactionism emphasize about actions?

  Actions depend on meanings attached to things
• How are meanings formed according to Symbolic Interactionism?

  Meanings are based on interactions
• How do meanings change in Symbolic Interactionism?

  Meanings change based on experiences
• What is the main idea of Thomas's Labelling Theory?

  Defining a situation as real has real consequences
• What happens when something is given a label according to Labelling Theory?

  It becomes a social reality
• How does belief in a label affect behavior?

  This belief affects the way individuals act
• What concept does Cooley's Looking Glass Self describe?

  How self-concept is developed
• How do others influence our self-perception according to Cooley?

  Others act as a looking glass to us
• What do we notice to see ourselves through others?

  We notice their reactions to us
• How do we develop our self-image according to Cooley?

  By taking the role of others
• What is the significance of the 'generalized other' in Mead's theory?

  It represents seeing ourselves from everyone else's perspective
• How does Mead differentiate humans from animals?

  Humans give meaning to their behavior
• How do children learn to take the role of others according to Mead?

  By seeing themselves through the eyes of close ones
• What does Goffman's Dramaturgical Model suggest about labeling?

  People are not just passive victims of labels
• What is 'presentation of self' in Goffman's theory?

  It is how we control our social appearance
• How does Goffman view the roles we play in society?

  They are loosely scripted with freedom of choice
• How does Goffman describe the interpretation of roles?

  Roles can be interpreted in many different ways
• What is the process of 'self-presentation' according to Goffman?

  Life is a process of self-presentation
• What tools do we use for self-presentation according to Goffman?

  We use props, stages, etc.
• What does participant observation in asylums reveal according to Goffman?

  It shows concepts like 'institutionalised' and 'notion of self'