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Symbolic interaction theory explained
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Symbolic interaction theory explained
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SOCIAL ISSUES AND AGEISM 2 Symbolic Interaction Theory, Elderly and Ageism Evelyn R. Cotton General Sociology Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Abstract Do we allow outside sources to influence how we treat senior citizens? Do …show more content…
My mother Evaun, was sharp as a tac, she woke up at 5am every morning and went to work at her business she owned for 40 years. She had health issues, open-heart surgery 9 years ago, failing kidneys, rheumatoid arthritis, she had always had health issues, but she never failed to get up at 5am every morning and go to work where she greeted her 15 employees every day up until her early 80?s. The day came though, when her little body became frail, getting up to work was harder (she always still did business paper work at home), she needed me to take her to appointments, which in certain circumstances agitated me, because some doctors would dismiss her as incoherent. Well, let just say she was always the one who had appointments written down, plus the correct medication at the right time of day. It is such a stereotype to keep a majority of senior citizens thought of as mental or frail and should live in nursing homes. There is going to be a time, not so far from now, when the population of seniors is going to be far more, our society is going to have to embrace ageism, respect it, learn, and realize elderly have a place in their community to help, enlighten, and
D) They were among the first faculty members in the sociology department at the University of Chicago. The answer could not be B) They were all sociologists who won Nobel Prizes for their work in social reform, because that was Jane Adams and Frances Perkins. In addition, the answer could not be C) They all established major sub disciplines in sociology, because only of the three, George Herman Mead, was one of the founders of symbolic interactionism.
Stereotypes affect the day to day living of the elderly, whether it is through job attainment and sustainability, access and use of healthcare, and overall personal autonomy. Due to the current aging population the government of Canada has eliminated the mandatory retirement age and is looking to raise the retirement age (Minichiello, Browne, & Kendig, 2000), from 65 to at least 70, to ensure financial stability for all in the long term (Novac et al., 2014). From the elimination of a mandatory retirement age the older workers have been subject to experience discrimination and stereotypes due to the ability to work for longer periods. Currently for every five working age people (15yrs-64yrs) there is one aged worker (65+yrs) and it is predicted that by 2050 one in less than three (estimated 2.5) will be an aged worker (Government of Canada, 2012). Positive stereotypes include a great knowledge base and the ability to perform certain tasks through experience (Greenlees, Webb, Hall, & Manley, 2007). Negative stereotypes include being frail and in poor physical shape to perform laborious tasks leading to a lack of produ...
Researchers questioned how and why certain people became defined as criminal or deviant. Many theorists viewed criminals not as evil persons who engaged in wrong acts but as individuals who had a criminal status placed upon them by both the criminal justice system and the community at large. From this point of view, criminal actions themselves are not significant; it is the social reaction to them that are (Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, 2010). This point of view is called Symbolic Interactionism. Developed by George Herbert Mead, Charles Cooley, and Herbert Blumer in the early twentieth century, they claimed that deviance creates a process of social definition which involves the response from others to an individual's behavior; which is key to how an individual views himself. “Vold’s Theoretical Criminology” describes the process of segregation creates "outsiders", who are outcast from society, and then begin to associate with other individuals who have also been cast out. When more and more people begin to think of these individuals as deviants, they respond to them as such; thus the deviant reacts to such a response by continuing to engage in the behavior society now expects from them (Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, 2010).
With healthcare in the United States advancing so rapidly, there are new ways to treat just about any kind of illness every day. With being able to treat illnesses in new ways, and also the advancement of medical equipment, comes the possibility of a lot more people living up into their 90’s, and maybe even getting to reach 100. The aging population, which keeps growing every so rapidly, will be using up a lot more sources as the years go by. This means, that we need to educate more doctors and nurses, etc., and also make more living facilities for older adults. The question that comes up in my mind, is when is “old” actually”. Most people stereotypically consider ages 75 and older old, but that doesn’t mean they are actually “old”, does it?
Under-treatment is common because of the misguided perceptions many healthcare providers have for older adult patients. In Dr. Erdman Palmore’s Ageism Survey (2001) of community-dwelling older adults ages 60 to 93, 43% of respondents reported that “a doctor or nurse assumed my ailments were caused by my age,” and 9% said they were “denied medical treatment because of age.”(cite) Situations like these are detrimental because if the symptoms are because of a legitimate problem that is overlooked due to old age, a patient’s health can worsen and a small problem can grow into something fatal. Furthermore, a patient who is told that a symptom is because of their old age can internalize those negative feelings that the physician expresses, and can then become depressed due to believing that they are helpless. Negative attitudes affect people’s physical and mental health. A few opinions that healthcare providers have about older patients that cause under-treatment are evident in a current cross-sectional survey, the Expectations Regarding Aging Scale, which assessed perceptions of aging. The majority of providers surveyed were primary care providers (PCP). PCP’s include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physicians. Over 60% of PCPs agreed with the statements “Having more aches and pains is an accepted part of aging” and “The human body is like a car: when it gets old, it gets worn out” (61%). Another 52% agreed that one should expect to become more forgetful with age, and 17% agreed “mental slowness” is “impossible to escape,” (cite). An example of under-treatment of a symptom in an older adult is back pain. Pain is commonly under-treated among older adults. While patients may already have ageist expectations about the
For a large portion of my life, I was under the impression that the majority of stereotypes and myths about older adults were true because I was submerged with that type of message in everyday situations such as seeing older adults being portrayed in a stereotypical way in the media. In the very beginning of the course, I learned what the differences between stereotypes and myths were which was very helpful. While interacting with people in my discussion group a fellow student explained that elderly people are seen as a burden on society because they are generalized in a sense that they do not contribute to society, which is not true because older adults contribute in ways in which they may not be paid for (John Doe, personal communication, 2017). After hearing that statement, I began to think about the many contributions that older adults are not given credit for, such as; charity work, child care for their family, house work and many more activities. Aside from that example, I used to generalize the older population because I have witnessed some traits that were present in an older adult and because of this one particular incident that matches the negative stereotypes that were expressed by society I generalized a group of people which is not a fair
stereotypes and reinforcing the realities of aging as they care for older adults in all care
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.
“If I can buy enough pills, cream, and hair, I can avoid becoming old” (Esposito, 1987). Western cultures are champions of stigmatizing the complex, delicate, remarkable process that is aging. Generally, people rely on physical cues to categorize each other in races, genders, and ages. What comes to mind immediately when the word “old” or “elderly” comes about? Quick identifiers like white hair, wrinkles, and slow-moving, are always associated with the elderly. Simply, the labels that are given i.e. elderly, old people, seniors, and senior citizens contribute to the categorization of this group of people. Like prejudice or discrimination, “ageism” refers to the adverse attitudes, stereotypes, and behaviors focused toward older adults based
In today’s society, what was once said to be true and taken as fact regarding older people is no longer the whole story. As Laslett states, “At all times before the middle of the twentieth century and all over the globe the greater part of human life potential has been wasted, by people dying before their allotted time was up.” (1989a), and to a great extent a lot
According to DeBrew, author of “Can being ageist harm your older adult patients?” stereotypes and discrimination are evident in various aspects of patient care. “Ageism [is] defined as stereotyping or discrimination aimed at older adults and a lack of knowledge about normal changes of aging and presentation of illness in older adults (. . .)” (DeBrew, 2015). DeBrew (2015) states, “research findings suggest that ageism is common in healthcare” (DeBrew, 2015). Ageism is not only an issue in the healthcare setting, but also among older adults as well as their families. When ageism is present in the healthcare setting it poses
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
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.
...ry, it is easy to notice how people need different things, and require alternate ways of studying. You notice people’s emotions and how they react to their surroundings. Some people need silence, some need music, some need space, some need distraction and some people just do it to look good.
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.