abstract
Are People the "Puppets of Society"?
Student Notes
2
ARE PEOPLE THE "PUPPETS OF SOCIETY"?
What makes people behave in the ways they do? Are their actions determined by forces beyond their immediate control or are they able to choose and select their behaviour with an element of free choice? This is one of the oldest problems philosophers and social scientists have grappled with and it still emerges in many debates today as the example below illustrates.
The problem has led to a long running disagreement in Sociology known as the structure/action debate.
This refers to two different theories (or explanations) of the way we behave as members of social groups. Put very simply, the two sides of the argument look something like this:
SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY
Our behaviour is controlled by the organisation and structure of the society in which we live. To some extent we are like "puppets" of society.
SOCIAL ACTION THEORY
Society is the end result of the way people choose to act, we are not controlled by it.
Almost all our actions are based on our own understanding of the world around us.
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Example
"Unemployment and educational failure will force working class kids into anti-social behaviour. The chronic lack of affordable facilities in inner cities adds to a despair which leads to drugs and crime."
"A young person may view their future with anxiety and this could lead to their choosing to be very conventional in the hope of their "getting on", but could result in other possible behaviour, perhaps becoming a New Age Traveller."
Within each of these perspectives there are differences of emphasis and opinion. Within social structure theory, for instance, two distinct perspectives can be identified:
Functionalism
Functionalists try to explain why societies are ordered and stable rather than in chaos. They are interested in the predictability of our behaviour. Most people most of the time seem to follow some sort of
Student Notes
2
ARE PEOPLE THE "PUPPETS OF SOCIETY"?
What makes people behave in the ways they do? Are their actions determined by forces beyond their immediate control or are they able to choose and select their behaviour with an element of free choice? This is one of the oldest problems philosophers and social scientists have grappled with and it still emerges in many debates today as the example below illustrates.
The problem has led to a long running disagreement in Sociology known as the structure/action debate.
This refers to two different theories (or explanations) of the way we behave as members of social groups. Put very simply, the two sides of the argument look something like this:
SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORY
Our behaviour is controlled by the organisation and structure of the society in which we live. To some extent we are like "puppets" of society.
SOCIAL ACTION THEORY
Society is the end result of the way people choose to act, we are not controlled by it.
Almost all our actions are based on our own understanding of the world around us.
→
→
Example
"Unemployment and educational failure will force working class kids into anti-social behaviour. The chronic lack of affordable facilities in inner cities adds to a despair which leads to drugs and crime."
"A young person may view their future with anxiety and this could lead to their choosing to be very conventional in the hope of their "getting on", but could result in other possible behaviour, perhaps becoming a New Age Traveller."
Within each of these perspectives there are differences of emphasis and opinion. Within social structure theory, for instance, two distinct perspectives can be identified:
Functionalism
Functionalists try to explain why societies are ordered and stable rather than in chaos. They are interested in the predictability of our behaviour. Most people most of the time seem to follow some sort of