Theory and Methods

• What is ethnomethodology?


  Studies the methods we use to create meanings
• Who did social action theory start with?

  Max Weber
• What did Weber argue?

  That a sociologist needs both structural approaches and action approaches in order to understand society he said human behaviour is described on two levels:

  1. the level of cause - which explains how behaviour is shaped by objective social factors
  2. the level of meaning - which looks at subjective meanings that people attach to their actions.
• Weber tried to categorise these meanings into 4 different types of actions:

  1. instrumentally rational action - is based on the most efficient means of achieving a goal
  2. value - rational action is taken because something is important for its own sake
  3. traditional action - is based on habit
  4. affectual action - is based on emotion
• Why is social action theory criticised?

  For being subjective
• Why is Weber criticised?

  For focusing too much on individual meanings and not explaining how we develop shared ones - e.g. everyone knows that standing up when someone enters the room is a sign of respect

  It can also be difficult to classify actions into just 1 of the 4 types for example, you might build a bridge to get across a river but you might also try to make that bridge beautiful