T IPOS DE C ONTROLADORES

Scottish Further Education Unit 160 Outcome 1

Revision Exercise: Structural and Action theories Completed Grid

STRUCTURAL ACTION

Interested in explaining and making sense of the social world we live in

Believes that society shapes the individual

Believes that individuals and groups shape society

Starts with society as a whole and then analyses the inter-related

Determinism is implicit in analysis Free will or human agency is implicit in analysis

Scottish Further Education Unit 161 A range of correct answers would be acceptable, based on the format of the sample answers below.

Knowledge and Understanding

1. Explain one similarity and two differences between structural and action theories in sociology.

• one similarity is that both structural and action theories are Interested in explaining and making sense of the social world we live in

• one difference is that structural theories believe that society shapes the individual whereas action theories believe that it is the interactions between individuals that shape society.

• a second difference is that structural theories are interested in how wider social forces have an influence on human behaviour whereas action theories are more interested in focussing on the meanings and interpretation of small scale social interactions and processes.

2. Identify and briefly describe two key features of each of the following sociological theories

• functionalism

• conflict

• feminism

• symbolic interactionism

Two key features of each theory are:

Functionalism

• consensus on norms, values and roles – there is a shared agreement in society about how people are expected to behave and about what is considered to be important in life

• integration and interdependence – the social institutions that make up society such as the family, education, the economy and religion are all inter-related and share the same values and norms

Scottish Further Education Unit 162 are able to exert control over those with less power and can dominate or even exploit them.

• competition over scarce resources – the potential abuse of power usually arises due to competition over limited resources in society. As a consequence those with more power are keen and able to protect their own interests.

Feminism

• gender role socialisation – throughout primary (and secondary) socialisation males and females learn how to fulfil different roles in life, with females usually being encouraged to accept inferior roles, often based on traditional views of women as child bearers and home-makers

• equal rights for women – one way to overcome the exploitation and oppression of women in society is to ensure that laws are created and enforced which ensure that women have equal rights to men in terms of employment opportunities, rates of pay and conditions of work

Symbolic Interactionism

• the idea of the self-concept – we gain our sense of who we are based on the feedback we receive from others during our social interactions with them. Our perceptions of this feedback form the basis of our self-concept.

• the significance of symbols and labels in social interaction – during social interactions a range of symbols, both verbal and non-verbal are used and interpreted. The meanings we give to these symbols are significant in our future interactions. If a label is attached to an individual, then this symbol can suggest an expectation of behaviour which can, in some instances, result in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

3. Explain one similarity and one difference between functionalist and conflict theory.

• one similarity between functionalist and conflict theory is that they both adopt a macro-sociological or structural approach when examining society

• one difference is that functionalist theory believes that there is a shared agreement in society about rules, values and norms, whereas conflict theory believes that the rules that exist in society have been put in place by those with most power to protect their own interests

Scottish Further Education Unit 163 Feminism

• one strength of feminist theory is that it has highlighted the significance of domestic violence and the abuse of women within their own families and been influential in changing the law to afford women more protection

• one weakness of feminist theory is that it finds it difficult to explain why it is that many women do not feel exploited or oppressed within their families or wider society

Symbolic Interactionism

• one strength of symbolic interactionist theory is that it is good at providing insight into the impact of the labelling process and the interpretation and meaning that people give to the social interactions they take part in

• one weakness of symbolic interactionist theory is that it overlooks the wider social forces that can have a significant impact on how individuals live their lives

5. Explain how the idea of our role in society would be explained by each of the following sociological theories

• functionalism

• conflict

• feminism

• symbolic interactionism

Functionalist theory would highlight that we learn our roles through the processes of socialisation and that there is a shared agreement between the social institutions that make up society about how certain roles should be performed and the expectations of behaviour associated with each role.

Conflict theory would suggest that our roles in life are dependent on where we are located in terms of the power differentials that exist in society. If we are part of a dominant group then we are likely to have a powerful and influential role in society. If we are part of a less powerful group then we will have a more inferior or subordinate role in society.

Scottish Further Education Unit 164 traditional female roles.

Symbolic Interactionist theory highlights the extent to which roles are negotiated through the processes of social interaction. When we adopt a role there is an expectation that we will ‘act’ according to a ‘script’ and that feedback from others will reinforce our ‘performance’ of the role.

6. Select two sociological theories and identify two ways in which they contrast with each other.

Functionalist and symbolic interactionist theory can be contrasted with each other in a number of ways. For example, functionalist theory is a structural theory which focuses on how society shapes individual behaviour and examines the impact that wider social forces can have on how individuals live their lives. By contrast, symbolic interactionist theory adopts a more action based approach and focuses on how small scale interactions between individuals and small groups create the society in which we live. Secondly, in examining social behaviour they adopt different types of research methods. Functionalist research is usually based on quantitative data (official statistics, large scale surveys) whereas symbolic interactionist research would make more use of qualitative data generated by research methods such as participant observation or unstructured interviews.