These communicative actions help form the basis of human society. In fact, a major part of action psychology focuses on the tension between autonomy and heteronomy, which focuses on the social and cultural context of actions. Some action theorists attempt to resolve that tension by assuming that cultural rules are man-made, although the implied intentionality of those norms may be incomprehensible in modern times, because they have been passed down through ages, and may have developed in a different context, where actions were more likely to bring about different goals or consequences. It also looks at crowd behavior, which may seem like a sociological phenomenon, but can be explained as a group of individuals sharing the same goal, which can result in the wide-spread development of atypical group behavior, which becomes normative over time, such as Southern lynchings.

3. How does the author distinguish human actions from other forms of human behavior?

The author begins by pointing out that the breadth of action theoretical frameworks means that there is no single definition of human action. However, the author points out that actions can be viewed as an analytical unit. He points out that action psychology differentiates between actions and behavior. To speak of an action instead of a behavior implies an intentional aspect....

In addition, actions involve agency, which involve an impact on the world. Therefore, actions need an intentional state, consisting of a particular content and a psychic mode. The intent of the action is the intentional state of an action. The content of the action is the intended consequence or goal. In addition, actions have a future orientation or futurity, which reflect the goal of the action. Furthermore, though some actions are overt, not all actions are. Therefore, actions are not necessarily observable from the outside. In fact, refraining from taking an action is also an action; in this way, allowing something to happen is an action.
The author explains that action psychology depends on the perception of free will, though not infinite control. For example, the consequences of an action can be that an actor attains a desired goal, however not all actions result in meeting the desired goal. On the contrary, many actions have unintended consequences.

It is important to realize that action theory does not differentiate between actions and other forms of human behavior in the same way as other types of psychology and sociology. In some disciplines, an action may be only an overt act or an intentional failure to act. However, for action theorists, cognitions and affects are integral parts of human actions and their development.