OBJECTIVITY AND SUBJECTIVITY

Two distinct approaches to the study

of human behaviour

POSITIVIST APPROACHES

USED BY STRUCTURALISTS
BASED ON OBSERVABLE PHENOMENA
TESTED WITH EVIDENCE
THEORIES BASED ON THAT
EVIDENCE
SEEN AS OBJECTIVE

INTERPRETIVIST APPROACHES

MORE SUBJECTIVE
MICRO
INDIVIDUAL MEANINGS THUS
CANNOT BE OBSERVED

THE OBJECTIVE APPROACH

NATURAL SCIENCES CREATURES

OR ELECTRONS DO NOT BEHAVE AS
HUMANS DO
EVEN IF THEY HAD MEANINGS,
MOTIVES ETC THEY DO NOT HAVE
THE LANGUAGE TO EXPLAIN
WE SEEK TO UNDERSTAND BY
EXAMINING REACTIONS TO STIMULI

OBJECTIVITY cont

Explanations of behaviour cant ask a

dog why it salivates when it hears a
bell (Pavlov) but can observe the link
and repeated response
Natural sciences objects seen in
terms of being pushed or influenced
by forces (a rock being shaped by
water)

Objectivity cont

Stimulus -> response -> behaviour

Observation establishes patterns,
causes and laws of behaviour which
may lead to prediction and control of
future behaviour
Creatures and objects have simple
S/R model
Physics and chemistry use this model

Objectivity cont

In social science the objective method

copies the N/S method
Durkheims study of suicide uses this
method
Compared patterns of behaviour and
suicide stats then compared with
social conditions stats and found a
relationship between S/C -> B

Objectivity cont

Thus for Durkheims study S = social

isolation or lack of integration and R
= suicide
One problem with the COMPARATIVE
Method is that CORRELATION IS NOT
CAUSATION
There may be other influences at
work

Objectivity cont

For example Durkheims suicide study has

be criticised by more recent studies
Atkinson and Wood who point to the
nature of statistics as a HUMAN PRODUCT
(the case of Micheal Hutchence is a classic
example)
The evidence of a statistical relationship is
not evidence of a causal relationship

objectivity

Objective approach sees people as being

pushed around by social forces
Interested in broad patterns of social B
crime rates, voting patterns, divorce etc
Preferred research methods are surveys,
questionnaires, statistics and official stats
Information on what most people think or
do

The SUBJECTIVE APPROACH

All tennis balls when thrown to the air

will fall to the ground
S = Gravity R = Fall to ground
BUT
Not all people that experience social
isolation will commit suicide
S= Social isolation R = ??????

Subjective cont

Humans are different to tennis balls !

Have consciousness and free will
When stimulus is experienced the
human must first decide what it is
how many of us will agree the precise
point we become cold ?
In any given situation a few people
will take an opposition stance or path

subjectivity

Examples
We may not all want a pay increase
We may not all agree that something
makes sense
We may not all agree that it is
cold/hot/boring/exciting/right/wrong
We are not ALL happy little robots
chasing shiny prizes (Marcuse)

Subjectivity

Humans also cut off their noses to spite

their faces
There will always be those who swim
against the tide, take the path less well
travelled and there will always be the
majority that take the line of least
resistance
S = Drum n Bass -> R = Dance around OR
S = Drum n Bass -> R = Turn it off

Subjectivity

How we interpret depends on our world view

Upbringing, culture, education etc
Social scientists adopting the subjective approach feel
this is crucial to understanding B
Argue that Natural Science methods are not suitable
as they fail to grasp the subjective internal world of
the human
Preferred methods are small scale, micro, in depth
ints and participant observation
However we do behave in predictable ways and to
have a full understanding of HB we need both the
Objective and Subjective