Analysis Of Alfred Schutz's Theory

I will be introducing Alfred Schutz theory of phenomenology, while Weber is analyzing “the understanding of the other self“ Schutz’s theory consist of the concept of “understanding another person“ (Schutz, 1). With this notion he is referring to how to understand another person’s perspective when signs are being used and when actions are taking place. Schutz refers to the use of signs as a performance of having a verbal communication with someone and identifies actions as body movements. Schutz theory further explains that when observing an individual perform an action the observer doesn’t necessarily know what it is that that person is thinking unless they interact with each other however that will require using signs. When observer doesn’t use signs the best way to go about the situation is to place yourself in the persons shoes because it could be that you have experienced something similar. Furthermore, Schutz explains that there is a different form of interpreting what a person has said and he breaks this down by objective and subjective.

This year was my first year working with the international students and it came to my attention that there are some words and phrases that people here commonly use. However for those who are coming from other places in the world they interpret the meaning of these words and phrases differently in comparison to what our cultural dope has now categorized them under as. These words and phrases have fallen into to a cultural dope because although we don’t necessarily are interested in them or their meaning society has still granted them the meaning of what society wants them to be defined as instead of what they really are. Furthermore this makes it easy for those who are familiar with the new definition given to the word by the culture we’re in room for