How Does Anthony Giddens Attempt to Reconcile Structure and Agency in His Sociological Theory?
… determine the behaviour of agents (individuals). Agents, in turn, are not considered able to take independent decisions. They merely react to pressure exerted upon them by structures; therefore, society creates the individual. Social Action/Interpretivist sociologists on the other hand, Max Weber (1864-1920) and George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) for example, wanted to show how human thought, experience and conduct are essentially social. In other words, they believe that the individual creates society (Haralambos & Holborn 1997:903). In terms of their central concepts of system (structure and determinism) and action (agency and will) the different opinions, between Structural Functionalist theories and Interpretivist Interactionist theories, can be usefully seen below; System Action * Social structures are the basic elements in social life. They have a reality over and above individuals. * The actions of individuals are the basic elements in social life. They are the building blocks
