Strengths and Weaknesses of Interpretive Methodology for Understanding Social Life Free Essay Example, 2250 words

The major methodology adopted social interactionists is the qualitative approach in which a researcher will use participant observation in order to analyze both social interaction and the unique individual characteristics. The observer needs to use three basic principles in order to understand the people that he is studying: - Human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things. - The meaning of such things is derived from or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with others and society. - These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretive process used by the person in dealing with the things he/she encounters. The strength of this process is that both the social and individual elements of human behaviour/interaction are considered and this is an approach that makes sense on an instinctual and anecdotal basis. The vital dynamic for the researcher to contemplate is that by interpreting or defining each other s acti ons instead of merely reacting to each other s actions. . . their response is not made directly to the actions of one another but instead is based on the meaning which is they attach to such actions . The overarching paradigm behind this approach was that laid out by Max Weber in his groundbreaking work. We will write a custom essay sample on Strengths and Weaknesses of Interpretive Methodology for Understanding Social Life or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Weber suggests that it is only through understanding the true complexity of social behaviour rather than attempting to simplify it through the scientific method, that it can be understood.