Max Weber was the first Sociologist to conceptualize social behavior and social life in terms of action and interaction. Webers Action theory is broken down into four modes of orientation: Rational action, Evaluative Action, Affective Action, and Traditional Action.

The first typology of action is Rational Action. Rational Action is when people are motivated by desire to achieve maximum efficiency. An example of this type of thinking is demonstrated when an individual asks himself, "What is the most cost effective way?" This mode of thinking is Rational Action.

Evaluative Action is the main orientation is the achieved values. An example of this typology as discussed in class is religion. "Salvation is the achievement of a higher level."

The third typology is Affective Action. This action is attained in emotions. An example of this type of action is in an audience's response, a rebel, a revolution, mobs, or crowd's reaction to a bad refer

Max Weber defined sociology or Verstehen as "the science which aims at interpretive understanding." "Sociology can be achieved only by discovering the subjective meanings that individuals give to their own behavior and to the behavior of others." (27) Weber felt that in order to understand the world around us, you need to understand the subjective meaning of the individual and their impact on others behaviors. Weber's Four typologies of Action, as discussed above" explains how the individual acts in a social setting. Emile Durkheim disagreed with some of Webers theories.

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Charles Cooley also attempted to define Sociology. He thought of society as a looking glass. Our self-image is a reflection of how others see us or what we believe others to see us to be. Cooley feels that personality develops through your social interactions with others. We are not born with the knowledge of how to behave or socially interact, but it is through experience a child learns what is acceptable.

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Approximate Word count = 714
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)