Which term describes the belief that social reality should be studied with attention to subjectivity rather than universal laws?

• A. Antipositivism
• B. Positivism
• C. Empiricism
• D. Structuralism

Answer: (A)

Antipositivism is the view that social reality should be understood through people’s subjective meanings, interpretations, and the specific context in which actions occur, rather than by applying universal, law-like statements about society. This stance argues that social facts are shaped by human thoughts and interactions, so researchers aim to grasp what things mean to the actors involved. That’s why this term fits best when the question asks for attention to subjectivity over universal laws.

In practice, antipositivists favor qualitative methods that capture nuance—interviews, participant observation, and thick descriptions—to reveal how individuals experience and interpret social life. This contrasts with positivist approaches that seek objective measurement and universal laws, empirical-oriented methods that treat social facts as things to be counted or objectively measured, and structuralist approaches that prioritize underlying systems or structures over individual meanings. Therefore, focusing on subjectivity aligns with antipositivism, making it the most fitting description here.