Domain of relevance
From Geography
Every person receives loads of information each day. We try to sort this information, and build up a stock of knowledge which is used to categorize the (social) world. Especially social information is important for us to save, so that we can rely on our social knowledge in future situations. (And so we can construct ideas about poeple, various situations and the social world.) Alfred Schütz calls this a process of categorization Typification.
In every situation certain things can be – and must be - taken for granted, and certain typifications selected out as relevant to the individual's interests. So according to Schütz, an individual sorts out this everyday world into ‘domains of relevance’. The primary domain is build up of immediate objects and events he is able to perceive, some of which he may hope to change. This is the only domain of which the individual requires detailed knowledge.
A person having defined his situation and so orientated himself towards it by permitting his interests and desires to select the relevant ‘typified’ aspects of it, the individual may set himself to alter his situation by action. This involves him in anticipating in his mind possible ways of dealing whit his situation as he perceives it. He fantasizes or imagines a project, or number of possible projects lead to action in which the agent purposes to bring into being a pre-conceives plan, Schutz calls this rational activity for it involves postulating means to the end in questio. This is the motivated lived experience that represents the heart of subjective awareness
References
- Campbell, T. (1981) Seven theories of Human Society. Clarendon Press, Oxford203-204 (page 203)
Contributions
- Page created: Kamiel Nuyens - September 21st 2012
- Text enhanced by Kamiel Nuyens - September 21st 2012
- Page edited by --HuubVanDerZwaluw - 13:30, September 22nd 2012 (CEST)
- Page slightly enhanced by Iris van der Wal - October 24th 2012
