THEORIES ABOUT HOW SOCIETIES WORK The main theories in sociology can be divided into two groups: Structural Theories Social Action Theories These theories say that the ‘rules’ These theories say that society is of society structure behaviour. We produced by individuals interpreting think and behave the way we do, what is going on around them, and because we have learnt how to do choosing to act in a certain way. it. We have been through a process Although individuals share meanings of socialisation. The ‘rules’ existed with others, this is not the same as before we came along and will exist learning ‘rules’. Society is constantly after we have gone. The ‘rules’ are being created and recreated by therefore external to us. They the actions of individuals. have a reality of their own. Think of the following example: What is going on in this classroom What is on in this classroom is is the result of the socialisation that every individual is interpreting process. The students have been the situation and making choices taught how to behave as students about how to behave. The through their experiences in school interpretations are likely to be since the age of 5. The teacher has similar because everyone is a been taught the role of teacher by member of the same culture and observing other teachers and shares the meanings that are through teacher training. The common in that culture. Students result is a classroom where are choosing to interact in a certain everyone conforms to the norms, way, and the teacher is choosing to the expected and acceptable interact in a certain way. What is behaviours. going on is the end result of all those choices. Which do you think best describes what you are experiencing now??? In the past sociological theories have tended to be basically structural or basically action theories, and that is how we will study them, but ………….. modern sociology acknowledges that both approaches useful explanations of human behaviour. Anthony Giddens, who is the best known modern sociologist, has put forward a “structuration” theory called which looks at the interaction between structural forces in society and individual actions.
THEORIES ABOUT HOW SOCIETIES WORK The main theories in sociology can be divided into two groups: Structural Theories Social Action Theories These theories say that the ‘rules’ of society structure behaviour. We think and behave the way we do, because we have learnt how to do it. We have been through a process of socialisation. The ‘rules’ existed before we came along and will exist after we have gone. The ‘rules’ are therefore external to us. They have a reality of their own. These theories say that society is produced by individuals interpreting what is going on around them, and choosing to act in a certain way. Although individuals share meanings with others, this is not the same as learning ‘rules’. Society is constantly being created and recreated by the actions of individuals. Think of the following example: What is going on in this classroom is the result of the socialisation process. The students have been taught how to behave as students through their experiences in school since the age of 5. The teacher has been taught the role of teacher by observing other teachers and through teacher training. The result is a classroom where everyone conforms to the norms, the expected and acceptable behaviours. What is on in this classroom is that every individual is interpreting the situation and making choices about how to behave. The interpretations are likely to be similar because everyone is a member of the same culture and shares the meanings that are common in that culture. Students are choosing to interact in a certain way, and the teacher is choosing to interact in a certain way. What is going on is the end result of all those choices. Which do you think best describes what you are experiencing now??? In the past sociological theories have tended to be basically structural or basically action theories, and that is how we will study them, but ………….. modern sociology acknowledges that both approaches useful explanations of human behaviour. Anthony Giddens, who is the best known modern sociologist, has put forward a theory called “structuration” which looks at the interaction between structural forces in society and individual actions.
2.-Theory.docx