Interpretivist Methodology

For interpretivists, the natural world and social world are different. The social world is a world of
meaning - human beings construct their own social reality. Their actions are directed by meanings,
so any understanding of human action must involve an understanding of meanings.

Weber - social action

Social action

Social action is action which involves other members of society. It's based on meanings in the minds
of social actors which direct their actions. Weber was particularly concerned with motives - the
intentions and purposes which direct social actors to achieve certain goals.

Verstehen

Motives are key to explaining any social action. Weber's method of interpreting motives is known
as verstehen meaning empathetic understanding. Researchers put themselves in the place of social
actors and see the world through their eyes. The problem is whether this actually produces a true
picture of the actors world view.

The Protestant ethic

Weber's methodology can be illustrated with his work on The Protestant Ethic. He was interested in
the meanings and motives - the 'spirit of capitalism', which he believed led to the rise of capitalism.
Using historical sources, he claimed capitalism developed from early forms of Protestantism which
preceded capitalism. He saw that this meant work became a 'calling', and making money is an
indication of success in one's calling, showing a person had not lose favour in God's sight.

The comparative method

How does Weber know that his interpretations are correct? His answer is to use the comparative
method which compares different societies and different groups within the same society. In the
absence of the lab where variables can be controlled, he attempts to find 'natural' labs which allow
variables to be measured.
He produces evidence which indicates that early capitalism developed within predominantly
Protestant, rather than Catholic, societies, and that within those the owners of capital are
overwhelmingly Protestant. From this Weber claims that his interpretation is validated.

Blumer - symbolic interactionism

Symbolic interactionists focus on meanings in the context of small-scale interaction situations. From
this point of view, the meanings that direct action are developed and negotiated during the process
of social interaction. The job of the sociologist is to discover these meanings.

Discovering meaning

Blumer developed a methodology for the study of social interaction. FIrstly the researcher should
immerse themselves in interaction situations, to observe and interpret the actions of others and try
and see the world through their eyes.
Structure and meaning

Symbolic interactionists accept that to some extent social interaction is structured. Meanings aren't
constantly reinvented, social interaction if often routine and repetitive. However this doesn't mean
that negotiation and interpretation aren't important.
Blumer gives the example of family structure and industrialisation to highlight his point. It's been
claimed that indistrialisation leads to the replacement of extended families by nuclear
families. Blumer objects to this view which sees human action as a product of structures and
mechanisms. Nowhere is the meanings people give to family life or industrialisation.
Blumer argues the research process must be as systematic, rigorous and objective as possible.
However sensitivity and sympathy are also important.

Phenomenology

Phenomenological perspectives take the logic of a social reality to its furthest point. They argue that
as human beings our only reality consists of meanings. The job of the sociologist is to find these
meanings and nothing more.

Discovering suicide

In Discovering Suicide, Atkinson's basic question is 'how do deaths get categorised as suicide?'.
When he's answered this question he can go no further because suicide is simply a meaning and
has no reality beyond this. Classifications of suicide are neither right nor wrong, they just are.
Atkinson's research attempts to discover the meanings used by coroners to classify deaths as
suicide. He discussed with coroners, attended inquests, observed a coroner's officer at work and
examined coroner's records. He argues coroners have a 'common sense theory of suicide' which
they use to classify and explain deaths.

Causation

Phenomenologists see it as pointless to be concerned with causation as suicides are not objective
'social facts' with causes that can be explained, they are meanings. Trying to discover the 'causes' of
suicide will simply result in uncovering the meanings used to classify a death as suicide. Suicides
are constructions of meaning.

Conclusion

Phenomenology rejects the entire scientific enterprise as it's normally understood. It's a distortion of
social reality to treat it as 'social facts', as 'things'. There are no 'structures' or 'mechanisms'
operating in human society. There are no objective facts with causes which can be explained. There
are only meanings to be uncovered and understood.