The Dichotomy Between Structure And Agency Essay

Sociology is the study the different aspects of humanity and society. It encompasses a very broad and varying range of topics. It can be studied on a large world-wide scale spanning across several countries, which is called Macrosociology. It can also be studied on a small scale looking at only individual families or neighborhoods, which is called Microsociology. Not only does it peer into humans’ interactions with each other but examines why they act the way they do. It considers the environment, as well as how access to different luxuries can contribute to the people that we become. In this fascinating field there are three primary views on exactly what the fundamental driving force behind society is. Symbolic Interactionalism, the belief that symbols and the meaning that they are given, define how we will perceive life, in this philosophy these meanings are influenced by society and the events of individual lives. Functional Analysis, views society as any other organism, in this theory all parts of the whole must work together cohesively to function. Conflict theory takes a somewhat opposite view than Functionalism, this perspective suggests that rather than wanting to work in unison, society’s underlying motive is a power struggle for resources. Over the course of this paper the reader will explore these different perspectives.

This response addresses question four and define the provided theories, which include structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. In doing so, various components of the theories are identified in relation to the topic of social change. In doing so, it is important to point out that in sociology, theories are used to explain the patterns, the way groups of people decide to perform specific actions, and the way societies do certain things or rather experience a change in a different manner. On the other hand, social change implies the growth and development of a social order, which bears some significant consequences.

Sociology is defined as ‘The study of human social life, groups and societies’ (Giddens, 1989). It involves describing and analysing how different forces such as social, cultural, political, and economic have on behaviour and an individuals identity. (Van Kreiken et al.2000). Furthermore, it encompasses the complex connections on a micro level along with those on a macro level thus enabling sociological imagination.

The structure and agency debate is a common one in the field of sociology and different theorists come up with different ways of accounting for the actions of social actors. This essay takes the position that structuration solves the problem of this much contested debate. Initially key concepts and elements of structuration will be pointed out .These elements include structure, agency, social systems and power amongst many others. Subsequently, there will be engagement of a discussion of different schools of thought and finally it will be demonstrated how structuration prevails over the structure-agency debate.

The correlation between these two concepts agency and structure can be seen through the impact it has on how people view social issues. For example, a student graduating high school is faced with the decision of whether or not going to college is in his or her future. This choice continuing their educational career can be seen as a completely individual choice which would be an example of agency. On the contrary, if this student knows that their parents expect them to go to college because if they choose to not attend they will be unable to get a job. This influence of the student’s parents, job market, and the current economy make this an example of structure as the influence of many external forces convinced this student to make this decision. This example of structure and agency takes the topic of going to college and shows how choice of school is becoming less and less of an individual choice. The diminishing of individual choices because of societal expectations is what is happening to many different aspects of how people view social issues.

The sociological approach toward social problems differs from other approaches in that the sociological approach includes a focus on self-consciousness and building awareness that an individual’s interaction with society can oftentimes be influenced by forces outside of the single individual’s control or area of power. The author of one of our texts, Anna Leon-Guerrero, who is a Professor of Sociology at Pacific Lutheran University, writes that “Unlike any other discipline, sociology provides us with a form of self-consciousness, an awareness that our personal experiences are often caused by structural or social forces (Leon-Guerrero, 2010). Certain problems are considered significant, or more significant, than other problems due to a

Union organization is not formed out of hallow space in a society. Trade unionism is not a system of structure which has already been developed. It is the patterns, social issues of elements, factors contributing to changing economic structure, it’s ever changing, twisting and restless experience of human striving toward a collective goals plagued by endless obstacles.

The structural domain consists of social structures such as law, polity, religion, and the economy. One example is the right to vote, denied to blacks. History has shown that structural domain changes very slowly. More often than not it only changes when there has been a large social movement, such as the Civil War and the crisis’ of the 1950s and 1960s in the United States.

Question 1: Describe the meaning of the term ‘Agency’ and identify the types of agency relationships that a real

political and symbolic frames. Firstly, the structural frame focuses on the importance of formal roles

Structure and agency are two theoretical terms used to explain the capacity at which we as people are able to be individuals, and to what extent those influences limit our individuality. Structure refers to the ways in which a society is organized. Agency refers to the behaviors and actions of the individuals within the social structure. Agency is limited by the structure due to cultural barriers and inequalities within the structure. In this essay, I will present an overview of why critical theorists are concerned with those inequalities, and I will further identify the problems within the system contributing to the unequal access to the public sphere, relating specifically to class and gender inequalities.

A popular way sociologists have explained social order is through, as Giddens et al note, the existence of social norms. Socialization teaches individuals the norms they are expected to adhere to. Individuals then tend to behave in ways which coincide with these norms. Through examining social norms, sociologists can investigate how individuals impact society and how society impacts individuals. The third question revolves around the concepts of determinism and free will.

Does the presence of an autonomous self necessary for exercising agency, as Jerome Segal argues (1991:113)? Harris argues that some measure of freedom within the sociomoral order of the society is required to author conducts (1989:602-603). It appears that whatever ways our informants define their power or agency, they practice it as conscious persons within a culturally allowed space, as Laura M. Ahearn states, “Agency refers to the socioculturally mediated capacity to act” (2001:112). She contends that it is important to ask how people themselves conceive of their own actions and what agency means to the people with whom anthropologists work (2001:113). Consistent with Ahearn, Talal Asad contends that “we should keep the meaning of agency open and allow it to emerge from “within semantic and institutional networks that define and make possible particular ways of relating to people, things, and oneself” (2003:78). Similarly, Saba Mahmood observes that “the meaning of agency must be explored within the grammar of concepts within which it

Giddens theorizes that structure and agency are a duality that cannot exist apart from one another. Human practices create both their consciousness and society. Because individuals make up society’s activities and structural conditions, they can choose to change it. Giddens calls this relationship between knowledge and practices the double hermeneutic. The daily routines and practices of individuals interacting with each other is what shape society. The actors have power over their actions, but the consequences are often unpredictable, allowing for change. Structure is defined by the rules and resources of society but without the human factor it cannot exist (Sociological Theory | Chapter 15 Chapter Summary, 2004). In contrast, he argues

This essay will be focusing on the structure-agency debate and the application of this debate to the sociological reading The Dirty Work of Democracy: a year on the streets with the SAPS (2005) by Antony Atlebeker. This easy will demonstrate how the structure-agency debate can help explain Captain Louis De Kosters attitudes towards police work and his actions. The argument I will be putting forward is in support of Anthony Giddens’ Structuration Theory (1984). I will prove this argument by referring to various sociological readings mainly The Dirty Work of Democracy: a year on the streets with the SAPS by Antony Atlebeker (2005) and Sociological Cambridge 2nd Edition by Anthony Giddens.