Upload
annabel-esther-sparks
View
224
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Unit 1 – Chapter 2(Continued)
Symbolic Interactionism
• A
• Developed by
• Explains how individuals behave based on their perceptions of themselves and of others
Symbolic Interactionism
• People experience their social world, and define and interpret their experiences to give them meaning
Symbolic Interactionism
• Only after the mental process of “giving meaning” do people act
• Symbolic interactionists attempt to understand the point of view of the actor to explain the action
3 Basic Concepts1) An individual develops a self that has 2 parts
• The “I” is based on how the individual interprets feedback from other people
• Looking Glass Theory:
3 Basic Concepts
2) People must also
to be able to anticipate what the other person will do and decide how they should respond.
This role taking is the basis for human interaction.
(George Mead)
3 Basic Concepts
3) People are able to interact effectively only if
Language is the means by which individuals interpret and give meaning to their experiences of self and others in order to interact in relationships.
(George Mead)
Symbolic Interactionism
Example:
Symbolic Interactionism
Limitation• Since the researcher perceives and interprets
the actions of the individuals during the observation,
Social Exchange Theory
• A
• Explains the social factors that influence how individuals interact within
Social Exchange Theory
• Individuals are constrained by role expectations
• They act within each role to
Social Exchange Theory
• Like Symbolic Interactionism, individuals interpret their experiences of self and others to determine the benefits and costs
• The benefits and costs of a relationship are not facts,
Social Exchange Theory
• Use Social Exchange Theory to explain the relationship between Hugh Hefner and his previous girlfriends.
Social Exchange Theory• Relationships are stable when
• Benefits are rewarding because they meet a perceived need
• Costs of a relationship are those actions that meet the needs of another
Social Exchange Theory• Individuals prefer relationships that are
• Social Exchange Theory is used to explain how individuals make decisions to form and maintain relationships that might appear unacceptable to others
• Some people are offended by the cost/benefit analysis
Developmental Theories
• Describe patterns of growth and change throughout the human life span
• As individuals progress through life, they face role expectations that challenge them to develop
• Describe predictable changes in the behaviour of individuals or families in different stages and how they adapt to changes
Developmental Theories• Examine biological, psychological, social and
cultural factors that influence development
• Explain factors that influence differences in behaviour demonstrated by individuals or families at different age-stages
• Differences could also reflect social change rather than development
Developmental TheoriesFamily Life-Cycle Framework• Applies the developmental perspective to the
life-spans of families
• Families, like individuals, have life spans with predictable stages =
• At each stage, the family faces specific developmental tasks
Developmental TheoriesFamily Life-Cycle Framework
• Some families will experience
• Assumes families at a similar stage of their life cycles face similar tasks
Conflict Theory• A
• Explains how power holds a society together
• ability to control the behaviour of another
• Conflict exists between groups in society
• Groups compete with one another to meet their needs
Conflict Theory• If groups are in competition, then the needs of
all will not be met equally
• Competition can result in exploitation by
• Society is organized into groups to divide people according to their power and to encourage competition
Conflict Theory
• Unlike Functionalists,
• “Functional for whom?”
Conflict Theory
Karl Marx• Explained class divisions in Capitalist Societies
in the 19th Century
• those who controlled the means of production, the wealthy owners of businesses and factories
• the working people
Conflict TheoryKarl Marx• The bourgeoisie were a small group in society
with tremendous power because they controlled the livelihood of the proletariat/the masses
• Eventually
• Gap between the 2 groups will grow
Conflict Theory
Karl Marx• A society would be stable if people perceived
the dominant group as being more entitled to the benefits of society
Conflict Theory
Friedrich Engels • Divisions between the sexes in marriage
• Maintains the class distinction of Capitalism
• Men’s labour
• Women’s labour
Conflict TheoryFriedrich Engels • From all classes,
• Women had to marry,
• Men could maintain their power by continuing to sell their labour for wages
• Women could not have economic support without maintaining a marriage
Conflict TheoryFriedrich Engels • Oppression of women
Conflict Theory • Explains the relationship of men and women
• Used for analyzing power and authority within the family
Feminist Theories
• Developed in the 2nd half of the 20th century
• Explains the impact of sex and gender on behaviour
• Considers issues of human behaviour from
• developed to separate sex and gender from class
Feminist Theories• Developed as a reaction to gender biases in
sociology
• Androcentricity:
• Double Standards:
• Like Conflict Theory, change is required so the needs of all people are met
Feminist Theories• Explains social inequalities between men and
women from a female perspective
Liberal Feminism: • discriminatory policies force women into an
inferior social class that restricts their rights to participate fully in society
Feminist Theories
Radical Feminism:
• Argues that the differences in power between men and women result in any male-female relationship as being exploitative
Feminist Theories
Socialist Feminism
• Based on the assumption that the status of women is a social inequality rooted in the sexual division of paid and unpaid labour