More handpicked essays just for you.
Strength and weaknesses of symbolic interactionism
Strength and weaknesses of symbolic interactionism
Characteristics of symbolic interactionism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Vanning and William have illustrated that authenticity of self is a method of social control through which a set of qualities are brought forth that represents the particular ideals of the time. Therefore, authenticity is not constituted by standard values, but adopts a new ideal according to the social and cultural context (Vannini and Williams 2009, p.3). Accordingly, Authenticity is defined as being consistently “true to oneself” and subsequently, societal institutions and values such as jobs, functions or roles shouldn’t contribute in defining the individual. The notion of being an authentic self or the “free” self includes asserting their wills in choices and being self-determining, autonomous and expressing (Guignon, Pedersen and Altman …show more content…
Individualism is approved by the capitalist society for manifesting a strong sense of self-efficiency and self-esteem. Furthermore, Individualism claims that the individual is responsible for the self, thus societal institutions should not intervene beyond individual 's rights for self-expression and self-realisation (Ogihara and Uchida, 2014). However, individualism has conveyed negative consequences in the modern society, as reinforced in Bird (1999), who shares his experience of being irritated and self-entitled to scold his African neighbours for reprimanding his children. He believed that only he has the right to do that; his new interpretation of individualism endorsed him to see that modernity and individualism had entrenched in him the notion of self-righteous and feeling of superiority. The Nigerian children, he noted, would share toys whilst his played individually and fretted when others tried to touch theirs (Bird, 1999). Moreover, Bird’s articles underlines that society has accepted a self-reliant and can-do attitude resulting in selfishness, subsequently creating barriers for healthy relationships. Society is self—obsessed with personal success through cosmetic surgery and materialism; all in the quest of accomplishing an authentic self. …show more content…
Self-consciousness or reflectivity is important in charactering the human awareness as it objectifies the self. Through the social relations and interactions, individuals can enter as an object to themselves, which is important in achieving self-consciousness. Furthermore, self-consciousness entails the procedure of absorbing the attitudes of others towards themselves e.g. the child learns to become aware of their behaviour by using the other as a mirror to understand themselves and achieve self-consciousness (Aboulafia 1991, p.224). Moreover, symbolic interaction is an important paradigm in the Meadian theory of self through which reflective objectification of the self is possible. Language is fundamental to Meads symbolic interactionism as it is through communication and the “significant symbol” that individuals can redirect the attitudes of others towards them. Language evokes aspects of experiences which forms the very ground of “me”” and “self” (McAulay, 1977). Additionally, Mead believes that when specific gestures are made to be reacted to, and when the anticipated response is unexpected, the gesturing subject must alter their subsequent gestures to achieve the anticipated result, it epitomizes that language is a mechanism for shared social meaning. To expand, mind
On the other hand, ideally one should be true to one’s heart, if Disney’s Mulan is to be believed. But these are neither solid pieces of advice nor wise counsel; they are at best hand-wavy, wishy-washy statements that offer no guidance on traveling the minefield that is remaining true to oneself. In fact, given the wide swath of human experiences, it is difficult to imagine a panacea effective for each and every trial and tribulation people may encounter in maintaining the integrity of their identities; personally, I don't think one exists. Just as there are myriad events, emotions, and memories from which one’s identity develops, it surely follows that there are just as many ways social norms act to compromise one’s individuality, ostensibly for the worse. Therefore, it seems that an indirect solution would best serve individuals filled and bombarded with doubt about who they really are; namely, the unwavering support of a community would allow individuals to resolve, on their own terms, their inner conflicts stemming from outward
Throughout the time, humans believe themselves as a superior species by occupying the land to develop and to modify their community. Moreover, people continuously research on human’s specialties. Among several terms, human defines themselves through “human authenticity.” According to two articles, “Dr. Daedalus” and “Alone Together”, two authors thoughtfully examine human authenticity through comparing humans with two other helping objects. A human authenticity includes a relationship with people through communication to solve personal and social problems with people’s previously learned knowledge. Even more, people begin to believe themselves as mostly evolved organisms among other species, which idea is called “Speciesism”. A speciesism defines human authenticity through several aspects of human’s natural abilities. Just human’s intelligence does not define their identity, but a physical appearance and human-to-human relationship including performance of intelligence all combine to explain a complex species of humans. A speciesism allows people to perform their abilities which is directly relate to people’s authenticity. Lauren Slater, an author of “Dr. Daedalus,” describes a bond between a plastic surgery and human’s identity. On the other hand, Sherry Turkle, an author of “Alone Together,” explains a cyber-alternation of humans’ problems, loneliness and relationship. From the articles, the term “marvel” defines a human with animal aspects, and a cyber-alternation explains a cyber-world through Internet or an artificial intelligence’s world, which assistances people to modify their lives. Through human’s basic roles on the society, a marvel surgery affects human authenticity negatively by crossing a border of species freely, w...
In the long trek of life, people are constantly chided to follow their hearts, and to be themselves, and to let our individuality run free. As Georg Simmel once said,“The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces, of historical heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of life.” He is utterly correct. Every person, every mind and every heart, has their own way of doing things. We have associated individuality with singularit...
Andre, Claire, and Manuel Velasquez. "American Society and Individualism." American Society and Individualism. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Dean MacCannell explores the concept of “authenticity,” a quality of genuineness that many people spend time searching for. Throughout the chapter “Staged Authenticity” of The Tourist, there are points that explore this common desire for wholesome experience in new places. In the societal structure of today, however, it is becoming more and more difficult to find authenticity, as we get further and further “mystified” looking for a true and sincere reality. MacCannell makes statements regarding how difficult it is to find realness in the modern world, but never makes a claim that clearly defines authenticity. Instead, MacCannell’s use of paradoxical phrases, visual examples that are relevant to readers, and self-contradiction around the ideas of mystification and reality strengthen his point that there is no concrete definition of authenticity.
The reconciliation between social structure and personal autonomy has become a key problem in the world today. Dorothy Lee addresses the difficulty to comply these two broad areas in order for them to work in accordance to one another. It is known that every individual has the capacity to act upon free will however in conformity with society to achieve the greater good. Dorothy Lee explores the importance of human dignity and how every person is entitled to rights and obligations to become essential parts of society. She tends to distinguish the differences from a holistic outlook from that of an individualistic perspective comparing “principles of conformity and individual initiative, group living and private freedom of choice, social regulation and personal autonomy.” (15) The key social problem being discussed limits us from our full potential due to our constant stimulation by how society wishes on socializing us. Society’s intentions of nurturing individuals to behave a certain way does have it’s restraints on personal freedom which is depicted as the dilemma that Dorothy Lee intends on deciphering.
The word “individual” holds an important place in today’s society. If asked the meaning of the word “individual,” a randomly chosen person would confidently reply, “ an individual is one person.” Compared to the modern definition, the person would be correct. According to the most recent meaning of “individual”, as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary , is “of, pertaining or peculiar to, a single person or thing, or some one member of a class” ( OED individual 5a). If the same question were asked in the seventeenth century, a different answer would be given. In fact, the word “individual” was rarely used. Instead, the word “individuality” or “individualism” was often heard in the seventeenth century in reference to politics or religion. The seventeenth century definition of “individuality” is “the state or quality of being indivisible or inseparable.” Obviously, these two meanings differ. By exploring the political and theological meaning in the seventeenth century and comparing it to the latest meaning, centered on biology and society, we will use history to help us analyze the conflicts between the new meaning and the old meaning of individuality.
—. Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989.
The context of this essay will include a debate on whether the self is shaped by society. By doing so, I will analyse the different perspectives on whether or not this is the case; starting with the view point that it is , with contributes from Mead (1931), Cooley (1992) and Goffman( 1963; 1987; 1968; 1969 ) and then further looking at the view points that disagree with this.
Individuality is a characteristic that sets you apart from everyone else. The author Tim O’Brien illustrates this through Rat Kiley, Kiowa and Mary Anne in his novel, The Things They Carried. Individuality shows the personality of a character, reveals the link between personality and the physical items the soldiers carried, and how individuality is used to create teamwork.
In our modern society today there has become a great importance for personal or individual authenticity, but to really grasp and understand the struggle for person authenticity the current cultural climate people live in today must be examined. Going back to pre-industrialized societies changes occurred over time and multiple different generations but now in our modern post-industrial society there are changes that occur multiple different times within a person’s lifetime alone. Especially since pop culture can be so easily marketed in our modern society through the new technological advances the current society has experienced in their lifetime alone. There is this rapid change that makes people in the society shift from maintaining core traditions,
In 1845, famous transcendentalist author Henry David Thoreau isolated himself from society and moved into a remote cabin near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. For two years Thoreau lived a simplistic life surrounded by all things natural and pure. Likewise, Christopher McCandless did almost the same thing as Thoreau and deserted his prior life to explore the world and experience it in its true beauty. Therefore, John Krakauer, author of Into the Wild, suggests that Christopher McCandless demonstrates the Romantic characteristic of individualism due to his decision to abandon his previous, prosperous life in order to "live off the land."
In the Ivory Coast, for example, unity and selflessness prevail. In other words, individuals have a deep feeling to belong to a group, and share the same norms and values with the group to which they belong. Marcia Finkelstein in her study “Individualism/Collectivism and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: an Integrative Framework’’ reports that “collectivists define themselves in relation to the group’’(1635). Instead, in the United States, individuals are independents and rely on themselves. In the same study, Maria Finkelstein notes that “fundamental to the individualist perspective is a focus on autonomy, independence and self’’ (Oyserman, & Kemmelmeier, qtd. in Finkelstein 1635). That is, individuals are expected to be autonomous, and to stand on their own. The public spirit of the collectivist culture then contrasts the self reliance of the individualistic culture in term of moralities: the “we” identity in the collectivist culture opposed to the “I” identity in the individualist
Individualism is when people believe that must take care of themselves through making their own decisions. They also believe in personal freedom and achievement (Trompenaars, 1993). Countries wh...
We all desire to grow into successful individuals and achieve self-actualisation through the satisfaction of our four different levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Personal identity comprises of many different elements and our true identity shines through successfully by establishing and utilising all of these elements. Perceived identity refers to how others see us which might not be clear from glancing at our outward appearance. Thus outward appearance is the foremost and key element through which our identity can be accurately conveyed. Our basic foundation of our identity is our ethnicity and cultural background. This provides the basis for establishing our natural sense of belonging. Cultural differences have throughout history influenced how individuals communicate with one another. High context cultures such as Asian, Indian, Arab and Russian prefer to communicate indirectly, is less verbally explicit and more internal...