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39.06.01 «Социологические науки»

The German scholar Max Weber made it his task to analyze and explain how the Industrial
Revolution affected social action – actions people take in response to others – with emphasis on
the forces that motivate people to act. In this regard, Weber suggested that sociologists focus on
the broad reasons that people pursue goals, whatever those goals may be. He believed that social
action is oriented toward one of four ideal types – ideal, not in the sense of being the most
desirable, but as a gauge against which actual behavior can be compared. In the case of social
action, an ideal type is a deliberate simplification or caricature of what motivates people to act,
in that it exaggerates and emphasizes the distinguishing characteristics that make one type of
action distinct from another. In reality, social action is not so clear-cut but involves some mixture
of the four types.

Traditional – a goal is pursued because it was pursued in the past.

Affectional – a goal is pursued in response to an emotion such as revenge, love, or loyalty.
Value-rational – a valued goal is pursued with a deep and abiding awareness of the
“symbolic meaning” of the actions taken to pursue the goal. Instead, action is guided by codes of
conduct that prohibit certain kinds of behavior and permit others. With value-rational action, the
manner in which people go about achieving a goal is valued as much as the goal itself – perhaps
even more so as, in an effort to stay true to a code of conduct, the goal may not be realized.
Instrumental-rational – a valued goal is pursued by the most efficient means, often without
considering the appropriateness or consequences of those means. In the context of the Industrial
Revolution, the valued goal is profit and the most efficient means are the cost-effective ones
taken without regard for their consequences to workers or the environment. In contrast to
value-rational action, this type of action does not require or prohibit any manner by which
people go about achieving goals – any way of achieving the desired end is allowed. In the short
run, the instrumental-rational action (with no constraints on behavior) will defeat the value-
rationally motivated actors. However, in the long run the “anything goes” approach will
eventually collapse on itself. Weber maintained that in the presence of industrialization,
behavior was less likely to be motivated by tradition or emotion and was more likely to be
instrumental-rational.

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