Transcript SOC4044 Sociological Theory Max Weber Dr. Ronald Keith Bolender

Max Weber
1864-1920
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Rationality and
Organization
Background
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBMNDJZHEeI&feature=fvst
 Maximilian Karl Emil "Max" Weber
 Born in Erfurt, Germany (1864)
 Well-to-do family
 Eldest of eight children
 Sickly child
 Physical problems
 Mental problems
Background
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 His mother (Helene Fallenstein):
 Calvinist
 Concerned with social issues
 Very religious
 His father (Max Weber):
 Politician
 Lawyer
 Self-centered and authoritarian
Mr. and Mrs. Max Weber
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Background
5
 Parents had marriage problems
 Different beliefs and values
 Max Weber and his brother Alfred
became sociologists and
economists.
Max Weber
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 Weber
Pronounced:
“vay-bear”
 Max, Alfred, and Karl ->
(1879)
Max Weber’s Sociology
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Concerned with individuals, as
well as social structure
Macro
Micro

Max Weber: Sociology
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Comprehensive science of
Social Action
 Behavior versus Action
Behavior=
move, react, eat etc.
 Action=Behavior + Meaning
Different from Other Theorists
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Spencer: Evolution of society as
analogous to an organism
 Natural laws of society
Durkheim: Society as an organism
 Maintaining cohesion of social
structures
 Social Solidarity
Different from Other Theorists
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Marx: Society influenced by economy
 Conflict between social classes
Mauss: System of gift-exchange as
basic to society
Max Weber: Social Action
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Weber’s primary focus:
 Subjective meanings that humans attach
to their actions and interactions
 Within specific social contexts
Behavior without meaning, is not in
the purview of sociology
Max Weber: Social Action
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Four Major Types of Social Action
1. Traditional Action
 Guided by custom or habit

Action is simply "always done"
 Example: Celebrating holidays
Max Weber: Social Action
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2. Emotional or Affective Action
 Motivated by emotional state
 Love, Anger, Happiness, Revenge
 Examples:
 Hitting
a person out of anger
Max Weber: Social Action
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3. Value-oriented Rational Action
 Working toward a goal, which may not be
rational
 But is pursued through rational means
 Values: Ethical, Religious, Philosophical
 Not rationally "chosen“
 Example: Going to college because you
value learning and knowledge
Max Weber: Social Action
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4. Instrumental Rational
(Goal-oriented Rational Action)
 Goals & means are rationally chosen
 Example:
 Earning
a college degree in order to get
a good paying job
How to get rich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz81sLCy--c
Max Weber: Social Action
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 Primarily concerned with modern
Western society
 Behavior increasingly dominated by
goal-oriented rationality
 In the past: Motivated by tradition,
affect, or value-oriented rationality
Rationalization
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 Rational calculation, Efficiency,
and Control (Bureaucracy)
 Replace:
 Affective ties
 Spirituality
 Tradition
Max Weber: Ideal Types
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An ideal type not meant to refer to “best” or
to a moral ideal
e.g., Ideal type brothel or Ideal type chapel
 Analytical construct that provides a
basic method for comparative study
Max Weber: Ideal Types
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 Identifies “logically consistent”
features of social institution
 Compare “ideal type” to reality
 Used to develop research hypotheses
Example of Ideal Type-Democracy
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1. A political system with the quality of
being responsive to all or nearly all
of the citizens.
2. Free to form & join organizations
3. Freedom of expression
4. Right to vote
Example of Ideal Type-Democracy
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5. Eligibility for public office
6. Right of political leaders to compete
for support
7. Alternative sources of information
8. Free and fair elections
Legitimation & Authority
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 Legitimation->
Turns coercion into
acceptable Authority
 Authority = Legitimate Power
 Three
modes of authority
 1. Legal-rational
 2. Traditional
 3. Charismatic
Max Weber: Authority
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1. Legal-rational authority
 Based on impersonal rules
 Rules are legally enacted or
contractually established
 Who has legal-rational authority?
Presidents, judges
Max Weber: Authority
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2. Traditional authority
Based
on belief in tradition
Passed down generation to
generation
 Who has Traditional Authority?
Aristocracy, Parents, Elders
Max Weber: Authority
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3. Charismatic authority
Allegiance
to leader
Leader’s characteristics
Quality of individual's personality
Source of change
 Who has had Charismatic authority?
Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi
Max Weber: Bureaucracy
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 Formal organization of large-scale
enterprises for example:
 Government
 Military
 Economy
 Religion
 Education
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCAlZPF0D0
Max Weber: Ideal–type
Bureaucracy
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Clearly
defined division of labor
Rationality
Attention to implementing goals
of organization
Impersonal application of rules
Routinization of tasks
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1.Rigidity:
• Rules and regulations often rigid and inflexible.
• Discourages initiative and creativity.
2. Goal Displacement:
• Rules become ends to themselves.
3. Impersonality:
• Stresses mechanical way of doing things.
• Organizational rules and regulations given priority over
individual’s needs and emotions.
4. Compartmentalization of Activities:
• Jobs divided into categories,
• Encourages preservation of jobs even when redundant
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5. Paperwork:
• Involves excessive paperwork --every decision must be put
into writing.
• All documents have to be maintained in their draft and
original forms.
• Leads to great waste of time, stationery, and space.
6. Empire Building:
• People to use their positions and resources to perpetuate
self interests.
• Every superior tries to increase the number of
subordinates
• As if this number is symbol of power and prestige
7. Red Tape: Procedures involve inordinate delays and
frustration in the performance of tasks
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Bureaucracy: Advantage & Disadvantages
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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Typ
Eb0tbFho
 George Tooker paintings illustrate
rationality and modernity
Max Weber: Class, Status, and Party
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Method for Studying Social Stratification:
Sources of Power
 Social Class
 “…property…and
 Life
lack of property…”
chances
 Socio-economic category
Lower
class
Middle class
Upper class
Sources of Power: Class, Status, & Party
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 Status
Prestige
Honor
Evaluations
people make of one
another
Ranking desired behavior & traits
2009
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Max Weber: Party
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 Association that attempts to influence
social action
 Religious
 Political
 Age-based
 Race/Ethnicity
 Lobbyists
 Working toward a goal in a planned
manner (i.e., rationally)
Weber’s Contribution to Sociology
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◦ Stratification theory (class, status,
party)
◦ Bureaucracy & large scale organizations
◦ Power & Authority
◦ Sociology of law
◦ Sociology of religion
Weber’s Contribution to Sociology
Theory and Methodology
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 “Verstehen” helps in understanding
why certain behaviors occur
 Social Action: Subjective meanings
 Values: Role in relationships
Weber’s Contribution to Sociology
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 Multi-causality
 Complete
of Social Phenomena
Objectivity is Impossible
◦ Values & Value relevance
Weber’s Contribution to Sociology
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 The
Protestant Ethic & The Spirit of
Capitalism
◦ Cultural barriers can prevent an
economy from growing to its full
potential
 Ex: religion
Weber’s Contribution to Sociology
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 Max Weber had more powerful positive
impact on a wide range of sociological
theories than any other sociological
theorist
 Created the German Association for
Sociology (1909)
 Starting Point for Careers:
 Karl Mannheim, Talcott Parsons, Robert
Merton and C. Wright Mills