Action

Definition

The ability of the individual actor or group actors to intervene and perform an act is referred to as action. In addition, any unit or series of social behavior or activity is referred to as an action.

Any unit or sequencing of individual social activity that is deliberate or purposeful and requires conscious decision rather than just being the outcome of a biological response is referred to as an action in the study of behaviorism.

Instinct vs. Action

The idea suggests a contrast to instinct, in which activity is thoughtless. Instead, the act of acting involves intention or meaning, and the actor is deliberate in their actions.

Giddens

Giddens contends that two more factors should be considered as implied by action:

A. Ensure that each person is a highly informed, experienced agent

B . Everybody is a competent human agent.  Action entails the ability to act differently, to decide not to perform the action but to do something else.

Max Weber 

According to Weber, every course of activity motivated by subjective meaning and focused on others qualifies as meaningful social action.

Symbolic Interactionism

According to a symbolic interactionist like Blumer (1969), a crucial aspect of human activity is that actors act rather than passively react.

Arguments between sociologists

There is disagreement among sociologists as to whether the individual intentional activity or the evolution of social structure is a better explanation for social reality. Some sociologists contend that action theorists and structuralists have failed to demonstrate how actors’ meanings are genuinely created.

One of the essential issues in contemporary sociological theory is the argument over social activity in these terms. Action theory and structuralist viewpoints have been attempted to be reconciled in several different ways.

There is growing acceptance that sociological explanations must include reference to action and structure, even if there is no universal agreement that these efforts are wholly effective.

Action and Behavior

Any unit or sequence of individual social behavior with a goal that requires thought is considered an action. The comparison to behavior is implicit. Sociologists may rate behavior on a scale based on how much conscious consideration, thinking, or choice was involved.

Sociologists would position behavior that is in some way influenced by causes outside of human understanding and control at the behavior end. These influences might be internal, like a biological reaction or instinct, or external, as when we unquestioningly or even unintentionally embrace the preferences of our social class. Individuals would decide their behavior based on fully conscious decision-making at the action end.

The common propensity to see human activity as action or behavior frequently serves to define social science fields and the schools within them. Where sociologists perceive activity, psychologists and biologists often see the behavior. Weberian and symbolic interactionist sociologists often find action where structuralists & Marxists generally see the behavior.

Examples of Action

A. Governmental action, whether federal, state, or local.

B. Action is carried by a particular person or a group’s collective action.