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SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

KEY POINTS

KEY SOCIOLOGISTS

EVALUATIONS

Symbolic interactionism has roots in phenomenology, which emphasizes the subjective meaning of reality.

Mind;

The ability to use symbols with common social meanings

Symbolic interactionism proposes a social theory of the self, or a looking glass self.

Self;

The ability to reflect on ourselves from the perspective of others

For example, why would young people smoke cigarettes even when all objective medical evidence points to the dangers of doing so? The answer is in the definition of the situation that people create. Studies find that teenagers are well informed about the risks of tobacco, but they also think that smoking is cool, that they will be safe from harm, and that smoking projects a positive image to their peers. So, the symbolic meaning of smoking overrides that actual facts regarding smoking and risk.

Symbolic interactionists study meaning and communication and they tend to use qualitative methods of research.

Society;

This is the web of social relationships that humans create

This perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction

Interactionism is a social action approach that states people have control over their actions and that people interpret different situations and give them their own meanings.

Symbolic interaction theory analyses society by addressing the subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviours

Interactionism claims that individuals can exert control over forces in society and therefore, individuals can determine their own identities.

People interpret one another’s behavior and it is these interpretations that form the social bond.

Interactionists look at society on a micro (small) scale. They study how people behave in small scale situations. They are interested in looking at how people interact with each other

It mainly focuses on face to face interaction and ignores wider social structures such as class inequality and it also cannot explain the consistant patterns we observe in peoples behaviour.

TO RECAP:

It has been described ed as a loose set of ideas put together and that it is too broad to be useful. Symbolic Interactionism covers too much ground, to fully explain certain meaning-making processes and communication behaviours therefore making it rather vague. Additionally, due to this vagueness, Symbolic Interactionism is difficult to falsify and therefore untruthful.

Interactionism avoids the determinism of stuctural theories such as Functionalism

Symbolic interactionism has been criticized for relying too much on qualitative methodology and for failing to incorporate quantitative methodology into its research program.

It recognises that people create society through their choices and meanings.

It has also been criticized for being too vague on the conceptual front and for downplaying large-scale social structures. Given its micro-level focus, some have argued that symbolic interactionism is not microscopic enough, because it tends to ignore psychological factors.

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SOCIAL INTERACTION THEORY

It also neglects the macro level of social interpretation—or the “big picture.” In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the “trees” rather than the “forest”. The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions.

Symbolic interaction theory is very effective in understanding behaviour of individuals that are of the same culture of the investigator. However, there is criticism that a symbol specific theory cannot be used cross-culturally. The meanings of symbols, behaviours, or roles may differ between cultures and therefore cannot be generalised to the whole of the population.

The Labelling Theory

The looking glass self

Labelling theorists use interactionist concepts in their studies of many areas, including education and crime and deviance. They have 3 key concepts

Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber's assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George Herbert Mead introduced this perspective to American sociology in the 1920s.

Charles Cooley (1922) uses this idea to describe how we develop our self concept.

The definition of the situation where Thomas (1966) argued that if people define a situation as real then it will have real consequences.

He argues our self concept arises out of our ability to take the role of the other.

George Mead (1863 - 1931)

Mead states that our behaviour is not shaped by fixed, pre-programmed insticts.

For example if a teacher labels a boy 'troublesome' the teacher will act differently towards them by punishing them more harshly

So others act as a looking glass to us we see ourselves mirrored in the way they respond to us.

Hebert Blumer (1900 - 1987)

We respond to the world by giving meaning to the things that are significant to us and we do this by attaching symbols to the world.

Impression management

Career

He identified 3 key principles

- Our actions are based on the meaning we give to situations, events, people etc.

- The meanings arise from the interaction process. They are not fixed but are negotiable and changeable.

- The meanings we give to situations are the result of the interpretive procedures we use.

As social actors, we use many techniques for impression management. We use language, gestures, props and settings such as dress and makeup. By using these we can pass for the kind of person we want our audience to believe we are.

Each occupation each has its own status, job title, problems etc. Howard Becker and Edwin Lemert have extended the concept to apply it to bigger groups of people.

Goffman rejects the Functionalist view and argues there is a gap or role distance between our real selves and our roles.

Interactionism is regarded as a voluntaristic theory that emphasises free will and choice in how we act. However labelling theory has been accused of determinism.

Mead states we take the role of the other putting ourselves in the place of the other person and seeing ourselves as they see us.

Blumers view of human conduct contrasts strongly with structual theories such as Functionalism.

Goffman's Dramaturgical Model

This contrasts with the labelling theory as Goffman describes how we actively construct our self by manipulating other peoples impressions on us.

This role develops through social interaction. Especially when we are younger and take on the role of significant others such as our parents and we learn to see ourselves as they see us.

Socialisation and social control ensure that individuals conform to society's norms and perform their roles in fixed and predictable ways.

Its described as dramaturgical because he uses analogies with drama as a framework for analysing social interaction.

For example, if someone shakes their fist at you, they are using a symbol one that has a variety of meanings.

So you must interpret the meaning of this symbol and work out whether the person is joking or being serious so only then can you decide how to respond

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