Social Action Theories

• 5 features of SAT

  1. society and social structure/institutions are socially constructed
  2. people have free will
  3. its a micro approach - prefers to research on smaller groups of individuals
  4. peoples behaviour is driven by their beliefs, meaning and emotions given to a situation
  5. interpretivist methodology is used (qualitative data)
• What is Webber’s SAT

  1. level of cause
  2. level of meaning
• What are Weber’s 4 meaning for actions?

  1. instrumentally rational action
  2. value-rational action
  3. traditional action
  4. affectual action
• instrumentally rational action


  the actor calculatea the most efficient way to achieve a goal e.g starting revision early to get the best grades
• value-rational action


  action towards a goal that is desirable for one’s own sake, may not be the best way but it’ll help

  e.g trying new exercises to grow glutes
• traditional action


  habitual actions which are often automatic

  e.g taking off shoes before going upstairs
• affectual action


  action which expresses emotion

  e.g violence sparked by anger
• Evaluation of Weber’s SAT

  1. Schutz (1972) argues Weber’s view is too individualistic and doesn’t explain the shared nature of meanings
• Symbolic interactionism


  The symbolic interactionism theory states that the meaning we ascribe to objects, processes, ideas, concepts, systems and people are subjective
• Mead


  symbol vs instincts - unlike animals our behaviour is not shaped by fixed, pre-programmed instincts

  instead we respond to to throw world by giving meaning to things
• taking the role of the other


  putting ourselves in the place of the other person to see themselves as us
• Blume’ 3 key principles

  1. Our actions are based on the meanings we give to situations, events, people etc. Unlike animals, our actions are not based on automatic responses to stimuli.
  2. These meanings arise from the interaction process. They are not fixed at the outset of the interaction, but are negotiable and changeable to some extent.
  3. The meanings we give to situations are the result of the interpretive procedures we use - especially taking the role of the other.