The document discusses interpretative social science, which examines the meanings that people attach to their interactions and experiences. It covers two approaches under interpretative social science: hermeneutic phenomenology, which interprets historical phenomena through consciousness and context, and symbolic interactionism, which understands society through symbolic meanings developed during interactions. Key concepts in these approaches include historicality, preunderstanding, symbols, the self, and mind.

1. Interpretative
Social Science
Prepared By:
Ms. Maseille Fransquat J. Bayumbon
Lesson 5

2. A Explain interpretative social science as one of the
paradigms in the social sciences.
B Appraise the meanings that people attach to everyday
forms of interaction in order to explain social behavior.
C Interpret personal and social experiences using
relevant theoretical approaches in the social
sciences.
Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to be able to:

3. Interpretative
Social Science

6. INTERPRETATIVE SOCIAL SCIENCE
 Interpretative social science is one of the three broad
paradigms in the social sciences which is sensitive to
context (Neuman, 1997).
 This approach claims that people create and associate
their own subjective meanings as they interact with the
world around them.
 The duty of interpretative researchers is to search for
the meanings people assign to certain phenomena in order
to understand them.

7. INTERPRETATIVE SOCIAL SCIENCE
People create and associate their own subjective meanings as they
interact with the world around them.
HERMENEUTIC
PHENOMENOLOGY
Historical phenomena are
interpreted differently in
proper context through one’s
consciousness.
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
Symbols help us understand
how we view society and
communicate with each other.

8. ORIGINS OF INTERPRETATIVE
SOCIAL SCIENCE
German sociologist Max
Weber, who asserted social
science needed to study
significant social action.
German philosopher Wilhem
Dilthey, who argued the
importance of an empathic
discernment of the everyday
live experience of people in
particular historical.

9. Hermeneutic
Phenomenology

10. HERMENEUTICS
Art of understanding
and theory of
interpretation.
PHENOMENOLOGY
The study of
experience and how we
experience.
HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGY
Art of understanding and theory of
interpretation.

11. Hermeneutics refers to the art of understanding and the theory
of interpretation, while phenomenology means the science of
phenomena.
 Hermeneutics means to “Interpret” and “to draw the meaning out
of a given text”
 Hermeneutic phenomenology aims to reveal the life world or
human experience as it is lived. It advocates the idea that
instead of simply one truth, there are in fact so many truths.
 Hermeneutics therefore “the process of making the
incomprehensible understandable”. Meanwhile Phenomenology
becomes hermeneutical when its method takes an interpretative
instead of solely descriptive nature.
 This approach emphasizes the importance of language, type of
questioning, human conversation, history, tradition in human
understanding.

12. Key concepts in
Hermeneutic
Phenomenology
Hermeneutic is an
interpretative
process that aims to
bring understanding
and revelation of
phenomena through
language.
 Historicality – Which is a person’s
history or background that includes
what one receives from culture since
birth and passed on from generation
to generation, offering ways to
understanding the world.
 Preunderstanding – Which refers to a
meaning or organization of a culture
that are already there before we
understand.

13. SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM

17.  Symbolic interactionism, also known as symbolic interaction
perspective. Refers to a key framework of sociological theory
which depends on the symbolic meaning developed by people in the
process of interaction. Symbolic interactionism, society is
examined by concentrating because of the belief that people
behave based on what they perceived to be true and not on what
are objectively true.
 Symbolic interactionism is also rooted in phenomenology, for it
asserts that the objective world has no reality for humans, only
objects which are subjectively-identified have meaning. Meanings
are not units that are given to individuals and learned by
training. They can be modified through the ingenuity of humans
who may have some bearing on the many meanings that form their
society, making human society a social product.

18. Key concepts in
Symbolic
Interactionism
Symbolic interactionism
is a social approach
which depends on the
symbolic meaning
developed by people in
the process of
interaction.
1.Symbols – Symbols are culturally
derived social objects having
shared meanings that are created
and maintained in social
interaction. It is through symbols
that the history, culture and
forms of communication of people
are expressed and it is also the
means by which people are
associate meanings with
interpretation, action, and
interaction.

19. 2. Self – It refers to the conscious,
contemplative personality of the
individual. It is being or nature of a
person one imagines when he or she
thinks about who he or she is. The
development of the self is made possible
through role-taking.
3 steps in the development of
the self:
1.Preparatory stage
2.Play stage
3.Game stage

20. 3. Mind – Or the mental aspects of
individuals which materializes from
human communication. The mind
becomes evident when significant
symbols are being used in
communication. It also serves as
the aspect of the individual which
disrupts stimuli responses.