Symbolic Interactionism Research Paper

We understand and perform on social objects. Our most important form of social objects are people. Symbolic interactionism is also called symbolic interaction perspective, the major framework of sociological theory as we know it today. People rely upon interaction with others; socializing has become the key factor of our everyday lives. Symbolic Interactionism is the meanings that we impose on objects, people, and sometimes even behaviors. Our society is a huge structure built by human interpretations. I grew up in South Texas where the only Catholics I ever came across were of Hispanic culture. Since I have only met Hispanic Catholics, I figured only Spanish speaking cultures were of the Catholic faith. There are two very distinct types of people where I grew up: Baptists whose main language was English, and Catholic families whose only speaking language was of course Spanish. While growing up, I felt very sorry for them because I thought they were wrong for believing the way they did. While being raised in a Baptist environment, I believed that if a person did not behave in the right manner or accept Jesus as their savior then that certain individual had no chance for going to heaven when they passed away. What was very contradictory to me was that we all went to the same local schools, played on the same swings, learned in the same classrooms, and we still grew up in the same environment. Even though their historical roots were considerably different than mine, they still happened to be going to the same school as I did, which confused me. One day I had built up enough courage to ask a close Hispanic friend what would happen if he just “stopped” being Catholic, or could he even “stop” being Catholic? He simply said that he ... ... middle of paper ... ...ng not to acknowledge that there are other faiths around them, there is still high potential for conflict to arise. I’m not saying that all religion is, is conflict. I am saying that just like race and ethnicity, religion is another way to set someone a part from everyone else. With religion being a main source of conflict, it only takes one event to cause whatever conflict to escalate. The solution to this is to promote peace. Learning about other religions could help bring down the violence level so that you have a better understanding of what cultures and religions are around you. Being well educated about other religions does not mean you are converting over, it just means you are taking a step forward in bettering the world, as well as yourself. Therefore, we must educate, learn, and live to the best of our abilities so make the world a better and safer place.