structure and action

• structuration theory

  giddens - there is a duality of structure, and structure and agency are two sides of the same coin that can't exist without the other

  • through actions we produce and reproduce structures, which make our actions possible
  • eg. a language is a structure of grammar and vocabulary, but would not exist if noone used it
• reproduction of structure through agency

  giddens - structure has two elements

  • rules - norms, customs and laws that govern action
  • resources - both economic and power over others

  these can be reproduced by human action eg. obeying the law reinforces it, which is generally what our actions do

  • rules contain knowledge about how to live our lives, which we use resources to do
  • we also have a deep need for ontological security - the feeling that the world is as it appears to be, which encourages action that reproduces structure
• change of structure through agency

  giddens - action can also change structure, which it does in one of two ways

  • we 'reflexively monitor' our action and reflect on it and its results so we can deliberately choose a new course if necessary. this is more common in late modern society where tradition has a much smaller impact on action
  • actions may change the world in a different way to the one we intended eg. the unforseen consequences of the protestant reformation leading to capitalism
• evaluation

  giddens makes an important attempt to overcome divisions between structure and action HOWEVER

  • archer - underestimates the capacity of structures to resist change eg. the poor may wish to abolish poverty but lack the power to do so
  • craib - isn't a real theory because it describes the things we find when we study society rather than what happens in society
  • craib - fails to unite structure and action and reduces structure to governing everyday behaviour without explaining how the theory applies to larger structures like economy