Jennifer Smith is a 17-year-old girl who is struggling with obeying authority, using marijuana and running away from home. Jennifer states that all of her struggles stem from the turbulent relationship she has with her mother, Kelly Williams. Jennifer states that the communication is stressed between them, because her mother does not take the time to listen to her, instead her mother just yells at her constantly. She feels like her mother’s rules are too strict and that is what they fight about the most. Jennifer states she smokes marijuana as way to cope with the relationship she has with her mother. To better understand Jennifer using a MSLC lens, I would first apply the ecological social systems perspective. This perspective will examine …show more content…
MSLC will focus on how relationships are shaped or established as it relates to the individual and societal interactions. If Jennifer does not acclimate to the changes in her life, Jennifer may go throughout life blaming others for the way her life turned out. A healthy intervention plan such as MSLC, could help Jennifer grasp a clear perspective of the changes and how they are affecting her life and the decisions that she is makes. Applying the symbolic interactionism theory will provide a plan of action to understand Jennifer’s societal perception and how it has shaped her life (Murphy-Erby et al., …show more content…
As a social worker advocating for Jennifer, a focus on how society handles and responds to teenagers that maybe going through a rough patch in life is crucial. Many times teens perceived as difficult or unruly are often lost or thrown into the legal justice system. This is why it is important to embrace a teen that may be acting out in a negative way. Proper application of MSLC, with a teenager like Jennifer, will give insight into his or her thought process and the reasons behind the teens actions. Taking the time to understand the ecological systems, life courses, symbolic interactions and examining social change will provide an opportunity for change for a teenager, such as Jennifer (Murphy-Erby et al.,
In the film, The Beauty and the Beast there is a strong underlining message of symbolic interactionism. This film has many scenes that relate to this theory, but one in particular best explains symbolic interactionism. It is seen when the Beast invites Belle to have dinner with him, she ends up turning the him down due to the fact that he is considered a monster. Belle essentially views him this way because that’s what society has depicted him to be a “monster.”. A writer Joachim Vogt sates in his article about self-image that “We form our self-image as the reflections of the response and evaluations of others in our environment.” This meaning we are who we are based on the lables society gives us. This relates to the beauty and the beast because
The movie that I decided to analyze is Daddy’s Little Girls. Daddy’s Little Girls is a movie that shows the loving relationship between a dad and his daughter and all the things he goes through to take care of them and be the best father possible. I chose to use this movie to analyze because it displays a lot of emotion and family love.
Race is a very interesting subject of sociology, and it is also immensely studied. What is race? Race is presumed common genetic heritage resulting in distinguishing physical characteristics” (Social Stratification). There are three basic theories to explain race in sociology; Functionalist Theory, Conflict Theory, and the Symbolic Interaction Theory.
The film Being There allows us to observe the different ways people recognize what is to be expected and change their behaviors to adapt to what they are perceiving, or how symbolic interactionism works. In any new situation people observe what others are doing and what meanings their actions hold and can adjust to fit in. Chance does just that in this film as he is thrust into the business and political world.
In modern society, there are millions of different kinds of groups, organizations, and classifications in societies. Sociologist have been studying the symbolic interactionism, functionalism, marxism, and class conflict throughout all of the organizations for years. It is important to know how human behavior is influenced and shaped by these concepts that creates reality in our daily lives. There are many different occupations in the work field that associate with symbolic interactionism, functionalism, marxism, and class conflict. One specific profession is commonly known as a waiter, waitress, or server.
I have plenty of African American friends. I just don’t stay in contact with them like I do with all of my other friends. I guess in the back of my mind I thought, “She is going to try to steal my boyfriend.” I didn’t realize this until now. The society has led me to believe that black women go after every single man. My conscience was telling me to not invite my African American friends or else they will disrespect me. However, my best friend Marie changed my mind about African American women. Marie is helpful, strong, and beautiful. I thought all African Americans didn’t how to talk properly, they lived up to every stereotype, and that they judged all the time. Through symbolic interactionism I believe all African Americans are different and need to be treated fairly.
In symbolic interaction we communicate with other people through roles that we assign to them, the way we label them, or how we act in accordance to what this person symbolizes to us. Often we assign labels, or roles to other people by knowing them from before. It is focused on individual interactions with other people, things or the events. One thing can symbolize one thing to me, but it can mean something else to another individual. Since we view the same thing differently, we will interact towards that thing or individual in different ways. An example of this is, rainy day for my kids means fun in the water, walking through mud, and just enjoying the day. To me the same rainy day means, lots of dirty clothes, mud all over the floor. It is important to remember that someone’s symbolic interaction can change. It is fully focused on micro sociology, only focusing on interactions between individuals. It states that we interact and change according to our prior experiences and interactions. Two sociologists that are identified with this theory are Max Weber and George Mead. Action depends
Symbolic interactionism perspective is defined as “the study of how people negotiate the meanings of social life during their interactions with others” (Rohall, Milkie, and Lucas, 2014, p.27). It asserts that “we construct meaning about things that are important in our own lives and in our society” (Rohall, Milkie, and Lucas, 2014, p.28). These meanings derive from social interactions among individuals which
In sociology symbolic interactionism explains the individual in a society and their interactions with others and through that it can explain social order and change. This theory was compiled from the teachings of George Herbert Mead in the early 20th century. Mead believed that the development of the individual was a social process. People are subjected to change based on their interactions with other people, objects or events and they assign meaning to things in order to decide how to act. This perspective depends on the symbolic meaning that people depend on in the process of social interaction. This paper will examine the movie “The Blind Side” through the symbolic interaction perspective.
Sociologists view society in different ways. Sociologists use three major theories: symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and conflict theory. The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other (Cliff). Some examples of symbolic interactionism are the meaning of marriage, the meaning of divorce, the meaning of parenthood, and the meaning of love. Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life‐long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean (Cliff). Symbols have a shared social meaning that is understood by all members of society. Symbolical interactionism is analyzed at a micro-sociological level. It examines small-scale patterns of social interaction. It focuses mainly on face-to-face interaction and how people use symbols to create a social life.
As with most group projects, I started out with a basic understanding of the issue; essentially pollution and environmental changes humans make impact the environment in very bad ways. I grew up with a family who believes in intelligent design, young earth theory, and they all vehemently deny that anything humans do cause damage to the planet- everything reported in the news or by scientists are part of a larger “Liberal Democrat conspiracy.” Thus, my views had become largely hazy and even though I pride myself on being a Liberal, educated, intelligent young person, sometimes I was unsure what was actually true or what had been dramatized or exaggerated by scientists or the media to actually get people to pay attention. In addition, I also
the interaction the individual itself and how they interact within their surroundings. Through symbolic interactionalism you look at things and what they mean, and then determine the effects they have. There are many hand signs, both good and bad, that people exchange, as well as facial expressions in reaction to an event or statement that a symbolic interactionalist would look at. My observation period in the library allowed me to glimpse into the life of a sociologist. I realized that you could learn a lot about someone by just watching him or her. Their behavior is highly representative of the person they are; yet one cannot assume what specific reactions imply. Through the use of your sociological imagination you are able to gain a deeper understanding of behavior and how behavior is influenced by society.
Symbolic interaction is the individual interactions between people and how that influences their behavior. Those individual interactions between people is what influence society. Social institutions are what influences, creates, and sustains relationships. Symbolic interaction theorist attach meaning to symbols, body language, words, gestures, images, and how we interplay with each other of those meanings. Symbolic interaction also considers the labeling theory. Symbolic is micro-sociology with individual interactions. In contrast, structural functionalism is macro-sociology dealing with the people who compose a community. A social institution is an ordered system of interrelated parts in a society. Structural functionalism all work in sync to make a society function. There are hidden and intended functions. Dysfunction is what
The sociology of everyday life focuses on studying people in their natural context, ie. the everyday social world. Social interactions is viewed as a fundamental aspect of understanding society and how social reality is constructed. The scrutiny of our social world in micro-sociology reveals that our everyday routines and social interactions produce an appearance of stability and continuity in our social life, when in fact, our social reality is profoundly fragile. This essay explores two different forms of sociological analysis, Symbolic Interactionism and Dramaturgy, through the arguments presented by George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman respectively, and are both equally influential in their contributions to micro-sociology. Both sociologists
George Herbert Mead begins his discussion of symbolic interactionism (talking with others) by defining three core principles that deal with meaning, language, and thought. The theory states that meaning is the construction of social reality. Humans act toward people or things on the basis of the meanings they assign to those people or things.