Difference between interpretivism and positivism

1. Presented By
Khurram Zafar Awan
PhD Candidate
COMSAT, Lahore

2. Interpretivism Theory
Interpretivism (anti-positivism) developed among researchers dissatisfied
with post-positivism, the theories of which they considered too general and
ill-suited to reflect the nuance (differences) and variability found in human
interaction.
Because the values and theoretical beliefs of researchers cannot fully be
removed from their inquiry, interpretivists believe research on human
beings by human beings cannot yield objective results.
Thus, rather than seeking an objective perspective, interpretivists look for
meaning in the subjective experiences of individuals engaging in social
interaction.
Many interpretivist researchers immerse themselves in the social context
they are studying, seeking to understand and formulate theories about a
community or group of individuals by observing from the inside.
Interpretivism is an inductive practice influenced by philosophical
frameworks such as hermeneutics, phenomenology, and symbolic
interactionism.

3. Assumptions of Positivism Vs Interpretivism
Positivism Interpretivism
Assumptions
 Rationality, Consumers make
decisions after weighing alternative.
 The cause and effect behavior can
be identified.
No single, objective truth
Cause and effect can not be isolated
The individuals are problem solving.
A single reality exist.
Events can be objectively measured.
Researcher/ Respondent interaction
affect research findings.
Each Consumption experience is
unique.
Reality is subjective

4. Positivism Vs Interpretivism Beliefs
Positivism/Functionalist Interpretivism/Constructivism
Ontology (beliefs about the nature of reality)
Real world phenomena and
relationships exist independently of
the individual perceptions.
Phenomena and relationships as
viewed as social constructs by which
an individual makes sense of the
external world
Epistemology (beliefs about knowledge and how we know reality )
Natural laws govern all aspects of
existence. These laws may be observed
from outside the situation and
abstracted to apply generally
applicable model and theories.
Rules governing behavior in various
situation dependent on the context.
Inferred relationships between
contextual factors and observed
behaviors may be transferred to similar
situations.

5. Positivism Vs Interpretivism Beliefs
Positivism/Functionalist Interpretivism/Constructivism
Human Nature (how we account for human behavior)
The behavior of individual en mass
(with exceptions that can be
explained by a lack or rationality
or variance from the mean ) can be
viewed as determined by the
situation.
Human beings have complete
autonomy: their accounts are
detected free will ( which may
constrained by external forces). So
they do not act according to any
laws of rational behavior.
Methodological (how we apply inquiry methods)
Researcher derive generalizeable
models of theories of behaviors
through the analysis of small scope
findings from large samples and
systematic methods to construct
scientific theories regarding “real
world”.
Researcher infer transferable, in
depth subjective accounts of
situations, that analyze
From small samples in detail. The
presence of observer is accounted
for.

6. Difference between Positivism and Interpretivism
Positivism Interpretivism
Relationship Between Society and Individualism
Society shape the individual-
" Society consists of social facts which exercise
coercive control over individuals (Durkheim)
People’s action can be explained by the social
norms they have been exposed to their
socialization, and their social class, gender,
ethic background.
Individuals have consciousness and are not just
puppets who react to external social forces as
positivists beliefs.
Individuals are complex and different people
experience and understand the same “objective
reality” in different ways and have individual
reasons for their actions.
General Focus of Social Research
The point of research is to uncover the laws
that govern human behavior, just as scientists
have discovered the laws that govern physical
world.
Sociologist should use similar method and
approaches to the natural sciences.
Prefer quantitative methods which allow for the
researcher to remain detached from the
respondents.
The point of research is to gain in depth insight
into the lives of respondents, to gain an
empathetic understanding of why they act in
the way that they do.
Sociologist need to use non-scientific methods
to see the world through the eyes of actors
doing the acting.
Prefer qualitative methods which allows for
close interaction with respondents.

7. Difference between Positivism and Interpretivism ( Cont……….)
Positivism Interpretivism
Preferred Research Methods
Quantitative
Official Statistics
Social Surveys
Questionnaires
Structured Interviews
Require research should be valid, reliable
and representativeness.
Qualitative
Personal Documents
Participant Observations
Unstructured Interviews
Prepare to sacrifice reliability and
representativeness for greater validity
Key Terms
Objective
Detachments
Trends/Comparisons
Correlation/ Causes
Generaliseablity
Scientific
Subjective
Interaction/Involvement/Rapport
Feelings/Empathy
Thick Descriptions
Individual Motives
Humanistic

9. Example 1 for Interpretivism
 Learning to Labour is organized into two sections: ethnography and
analysis. {(Paul willi, 1977 (study of “ the lads”))}.
 In Part One, Willis describes and analyzes the nonconformist counter-school
culture produced by Hammertown Boys' White, working-class boys (called
"lads").In this section, he applies thick description and ethnographic analysis
to the counter-school culture of the lads, recognizing the legitimacy and
reality of the students' own interpretive accounts of schooling.
 Willis uses the qualitative research methods of participant observation and
group interviews to study an informal (but socially cohesive) group of
twelve lads at Hammertown Boys.
 He distinguishes between two distinct, informal groups of the working-class
students at Hammertown Boys: lads and 'ear'oles. Whereas the lads are those
nonconformist students who defy authority, 'ear'oles are those conformist
students who invest themselves in formal learning and academic
achievement, and therefore in the authority of teachers and the school
system

10. In Part Two, Willis analyzes his own ethnography to
produce a theoretical account of how counter-school
culture plays a vital role in leading working-class
students into subordinate, low-wage labor positions in
adult life, fulfilling what he calls their "self-damnation.
 Working-class youths' recognition of, and reaction
against, the dominating, disciplinary mechanisms of
school help seal their future outcomes as workers, in
turn enabling the social reproduction of class positions.
Willis synthesizes his observations of the lads' counter-
school culture at Hammertown Boys in order to produce
a theory of social reproduction that integrates culture as
a key element alongside education.

11. Example 2 for Positivism
Suicide (French: Le suicide) is an 1897 book written
by French sociologist Émile Durkheim. It was the
first methodological study of a social fact in the
context of society.
It is ostensibly a case study of suicide, a publication
unique for its time that provided an example of what
the sociological monograph should look like.
Durkheim (1897) the term suicide is applied to all
cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a
positive or negative act of the victim himself, which
he knows will produce this result.

12. In his view, suicide comes in four kinds;
1. Egoistic suicide reflects a prolonged sense of not
belonging, of not being integrated in a community.
2. Altruistic suicide is characterized by a sense of being
overwhelmed by a group's goals and beliefs.
3. Anomic suicide reflects an individual's moral confusion
and lack of social direction, which is related to dramatic
social and economic upheaval.
4. Fatalistic suicide occurs when a person is excessively
regulated, when their futures are pitilessly blocked and
passions violently choked by oppressive discipline.
Durkheim (1897) concluded apparently about individual
behavior (e.g. suicide), although they are derived
from aggregate statistics (the suicide rate among
Protestants and Catholics).

13. Durkheim (1897) concluded that:
 Suicide rates are higher in men than women but the women who
remained childless for a number of years ended up with a high
suicide rate.
 Suicide rates are higher for those who are single than those who are
married.
 Suicide rates are higher for people without children than people
with children.
 Suicide rates are higher among Protestants than Catholics and
Jews.
 Suicide rates are higher among soldiers than civilians.
 Suicide rates are higher in times of peace than in times of war
 Suicide rates are higher in Scandinavian countries.
 The higher the education level, the more likely it was that an
individual would choose suicide. However, Durkheim established
that there is more correlation between an individual's religion and
suicide rate than an individual's education level.
 Jewish people were generally highly educated but had a low
suicide rate.

14. References
Miller, K. (2004). Interpretive Perspectives on Theory Development. In Communication
Theories: Perspectives, Processes, and Contexts (pp. 46–59). Boston, Massachusetts:
McGraw-Hill.
Willis, P. Learning to Labour: How working class kids get working class jobs Saxon Home 1977
Durkheim, Émile. 1897. Suicide. e-Library. edited by G. Simpson. Taylor & Francis
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