Methodological, structuralism,individualism and structuration

Sociologists claim that anybody interested in study of society begins with a certain understanding of society. Although there are many different ways of looking at society there are some major ways of thinking which may be called models. For example, one may assume that man’s consciousness is formed by society (methodological structuralism) or that society is nothing but the sum total of the activities of individuals who constitute society (methodological individualism). Giddens does not believe in the primacy of any. His theory has combined the two and is called the theory of structuration. In place of focusing on individuals and society his theory focuses on social practices ordered across space and time, treating influences of structure and agency equal. For Giddens structure refers to rules and resources and agency to human action. Structure may further be divided into three types and may be seen as producing meaning through: (a) organized webs of language (semantic codes, interpretive schemes and discursive practices); (b) a moral order via naturalization in societal norms, values and standards; and (c) power, originating from the control of resources. His theory is quite abstract and beyond the scope of this lecture. The following discussion from The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Strucuration explains his concept of structuration (Giddens, 1984).