structuration theory
Article Free Pass
Theories of structure and agency
The nexus of structure and agency has been a central tenet in the field of sociology since its inception. Theories that argue for the preeminence of structure (also called the objectivist view in this context) resolve that the behaviour of individuals is largely determined by their socialization into that structure (such as conforming to a society’s expectations with respect to gender or social class). Structures operate at varying levels, with the research lens focused at the level appropriate to the question at hand. At its highest level, society can be thought to consist of mass socioeconomic stratifications (such as through distinct social classes). On a mid-range scale, institutions and social networks (such as religious or familial structures) might form the focus of study, and at the microscale one might consider how community or professional norms constrain agency. Structuralists describe the effect of structure in contrasting ways. French social scientist Émile Durkheim highlighted the positive role of stability and permanence, whereas philosopher Karl Marx described structures as protecting the few, doing little to meet the needs of the many.
In contrast, proponents of agency theory (also called the subjective view in this context) consider that individuals possess the ability to exercise their own free will and make their own choices. Here, social structures are viewed as products of individual action that are sustained or discarded, rather than as incommensurable forces.
Giddens’s theory
Sociologists have questioned the polarized nature of the structure-agency debate, highlighting the synthesis of these two influences on human behaviour. A prominent scholar in this respect is British sociologist Anthony Giddens, who developed the concept of structuration. Giddens argues that just as an individual’s autonomy is influenced by structure, structures are maintained and adapted through the exercise of agency. The interface at which an actor meets a structure is termed “structuration.”
Thus, structuration theory attempts to understand human social behaviour by resolving the competing views of structure-agency and macro-micro perspectives. This is achieved by studying the processes that take place at the interface between the actor and the structure. Structuration theory takes the position that social action cannot be fully explained by the structure or agency theories alone. Instead, it recognizes that actors operate within the context of rules produced by social structures, and only by acting in a compliant manner are these structures reinforced. As a result, social structures have no inherent stability outside human action because they are socially constructed. Alternatively, through the exercise of reflexivity, agents modify social structures by acting outside the constraints the structures place on them.
