symbolic interaction

1084 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Applying symbolic interactionism theory

Symbolic interaction is the process of how dynamic involvement in the life of groups affects the social development of an individual. It is a theory of interaction in which the goal of interactions is to create a shared meaning. Social structure is the arrangements of societies where human beings live to interact with each other. Self is the subject the individual experiences in connections to emotions. It occurs through the interactions of others. In Chapter 11, Mead, Blumer, and Goffman critiqued symbolic interaction as a theory of society and also discussed the differences between symbolic interaction and social structure. George Herbert Mead asserts that people have to manage with the reality of their circumstances according to the situation. Some of the concepts that Mead believes is mind, self, and society. The mind reveals an individual’s ability to conceive what it perceives and change gestures into symbols. Self has a development and is not originally there at birth. The idea of society is the organization of human experience and behavior as it cannot function without the mind and self. Furthermore, in accordance to Mead, self has two parts: “I” and the “Me”. The similarities between the two of them are that both parts are in a person’s self-concept. The differences between the two are that “I” is the unpredictable and impulsive feature of the self while “me” is the subject of an individual’s actions that is developed through the interaction of the society. Another concept that Mead focused on is the generalized other. Whenever individuals are thinking about themselves, this concept allows individuals to interact socially. According to Mead, he believes “In taking such roles the individual seeks to ascertain the intenti... ... middle of paper ... ...ns of others. In Chapter 11, Mead, Blumer, Hochschild, and Goffman critiqued symbolic interaction as a theory of society and also discussed the differences between symbolic interaction and social structure. From my perspective, I can critique symbolic interactionism as a theory used in today’s society because workers have to manage their emotions while having to deal their job atmosphere in the workplace. In addition, symbolic interaction forces workers to act a certain way which can lead them to get used to having these behaviors even when they are no longer working because of the pressure and situation of having these behavior. Lastly, out of all perspectives, I think that Hochschild’s perspective on symbolic interaction is the most crucial because emotional labor still occurs in today’s society as workers are alienated from the products that they produce.

Show More
Related

  • Interactionist Theory Of Self Esteem

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    The interactionist theory began with George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley. Cooley furthered the belief that we learn who we are by interacting with others by adding that our view of ourselves also comes from our impressions of how others perceive us. Mead then continued with Cooley’s beliefs and developed a model of the process of the “self,” which contains three stages: the preparatory stage, the play stage, and the game stage. During the preparatory stage, children will imitate family members and other people around them, who Mead considered “generalized others.” In the play stage, children will pretend to play the role of a generalized other around them. Lastly, in the game stage, children will play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other. Mead also developed a theory known as the “Theory of the Self.” This theory revolves around the idea that the self begins at a “privileged, centralized position in a person’s world” such as a young child who think of themselves as the center of attention. Erving Goffman was the next sociologist to study the interactionist perspective regarding the self. Goffman suggested that many of our daily activities are an attempt to express our “self.” At a young age, we start making effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation. He termed this as “impression

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Mead Vs. Mead

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    While different in theory, both Mead and Freud were trying very hard to explain the complexities of what is known as the human existence. Meads theory states that we have more freedom and choice in our human development; while Freud theorizes we are slaves to our instinctual nature. After analyzing the differences between the two theories I came to the conclusion Mead’s theory of self, more accurately depicts my life and its experiences. Both Mead and Freud created great debate topics for the world of Sociology, and the world of Psychology alike.

    Read More

  • Symbolic Interactionalist Perspective

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolic interactionist’s like to understand the world through understanding the specific meanings and causes that society attributes to particular events. When analyzing health and illness symbolic interactionist’s like to look at individuals or groups and how they give meaning to their particular illness. Then they take that information and see how it affects their relationships with others and how it makes them view themselves. The symbolic interactionist theory also claims that we socially construct health and illness much like we do with race.  For instance if someone spends his days staring at the sun and goes blind people blame him for staring at the sun. They believe that if they do not engage in sun staring then they will not go blind. The same reasoning usually follows people who get lung cancer or AIDS. The person is blamed for having the illness regardless of how they got it; people assume the sick brought it upon themselves.

    Read More

  • Libby Montana Symbolic Interactionism

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    The next film that we watched in sociology was Libby Montana. This was about a little small town in Montana that was going through some very tough times due to the vermiculite plants that were built cause the air to be polluted. Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another. These people in Libby all felt that Earl Lovech who was the operating manager at WR Grace lied to them about the asbestos poisoning. They also feel deceived and have no respect to WR Grace. WR Grace was the company whose jobs created a lot of dust and dirt due to the vermiculite. Vermiculite is a type of

    Read More

  • Symbolic Interactionism: The Base Theory Of The Looking Glass Self, By Charles Cooley

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    Symbolic Interactionist, is a concept that borders on the fringes of sociology, speech and communications, and even human psychology. The term was first coined by Herbert Bulmer who did not invent the concept. The concept was created by his professor at the University of Chicago and renowned social phycologist George Herbert Mead. The basic premise of this concept is that the very root of being human is being social creatures and our connection to each other. It is in this light that we judge our actions and choices as either successful and appropriate. Another important aspect of this theory that differentiates humans from animals is our ability and almost autonomous goal oriented behavior. Lions don’t think to themselves, if I produce more food for the pack then I will be King one day, animals don’t think long term, they react and think about survival. Whereas humans think if I don’t finish high school, people will think less of me and it will be harder to earn a living in the future, whereas others think the same about collage leading them to devote the actions and money to meet social standards that will allow them to live a life that meets a different

    Read More

  • Overcoming Racial Stereotypes through Symbolic Interactionism

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolic interactionism is the study of how people negotiate the meaning of social life during their interactions with other people. I thought all black guys had the same speech. I used to think they were loud,

    Read More

  • Struggles with Self-Concept in Zero by Paul Logan, Living in two worlds” by Marcus Mabry, and “The Jacket” by Gary Soto

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    In unit one of Interactions, the authors Ann Moseley and Jeanette Harris showed a number of readings about the idea of the self. The self-concept is an important matter because people change with age constantly and their thoughts change as well. There are many factors that can affect any individual’s thought of self-concept such as growing up, life experiences, friends and family, and meeting new people. Moreover, a number of readings in unit one by different authors showing their experiences and struggles with self-concept such as ethnicities, economy status, and self-esteem issue. I have had similar experiences with several authors, which are, “Zero” by Paul Logan, “Living in two worlds” by Marcus Mabry, and “The Jacket” by Gary Soto.

    Read More

  • Major Sociological Theories

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Cooley Essay

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    He viewed behavior as reflexive and really focused in on that. He stated we have reflexive behaviors because we can respond to things around us and focus in on others. To Mead the mind is constructed by symbols and language. When a symbol is familiar it becomes a universal gesture. Reflexiveness is again mentioned and necessary for the mind to develop social processes. The self is the reference point to events, sensations, and emotions. As he says in the text, our self arises through play and games. There is also a generalized other that has to be understood. As we grow our self is manipulated into organized social attitudes and norms. When referencing the self, Mead talks about “I” and “Me”. Next Mead speaks about Society, which is a combination of the mind and self with others. So what he is saying is that what the mind and self does is determined by others in society. Therefore, society is then one of the most important pieces to Mead’s puzzle because the attitude of society will reflect the attitude of the mind and self. Overall, neither the self nor the mind are acting alone, but acting to

    Read More

  • Symbolic Interactionism In The Blind Side By Michael Oher

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Symbolic Interactionism In Sociology

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Geniie The Secret Of The Wild Child

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    Famous sociologist George Herbert Mead proposed the idea that there are two aspects for the self of every individual; the subjective self, which is “present from birth”, and the objective self, which is later established “as people communicate symbolically and learn to take the role of the other”.(Brym

    Read More

  • Social Diagnosis

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    Individual differences must be reckoned with in every field of endeavor, but the theory of the wider self, though it has of course other implications, seems to lie at the base of social casework. We have seen how slowly such work has abandoned its few general classifications and tried instead to consider the whole man. Even more slowly is it realizing that the mind of man (and in a very real sense the mind is the man) can be described as the sum of his social relationships. (p. 368)

    Read More

  • Symbolic Interactionism And Dramaturgy, By George Herbert Mead And Erving Goffman

    1691 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • A Reflection Of The Interaction Between Self And Society

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    Before taking this class, my understanding between each individual and the whole society is that every individuals as the gear are connected together to become a society like a machine. That is, human beings build the society. However, the class gave me bigger view of the relationship between the people and the society. Discussing about the relationship between me and the broader social world is based on how all human beings and the broader social world effect together. Thus, I am going to show my understanding from the class and reading about the interaction between each individual and the whole society.

    Read More

More about symbolic interaction

Open Document