...Research categories Symbolic Interactionism Home Social Sciences and the Law Sociology and Social Reform Sociology: General Terms and Concepts International Encyclopedia... A Dictionary of Sociology International Encyclopedia... Further reading TOOLS Symbolic Interactionism International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family | 2003 COPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic interactionism is a sociological perspective on self and society based on the ideas of George H. Mead (1934), Charles H. Cooley (1902), W. I. Thomas (1931), and other pragmatists associated, primarily, with the University of Chicago in the early twentieth century. The central theme of symbolic interactionism is that human life is lived in the symbolic domain. Symbols are culturally derived social objects having shared meanings that are created and maintained in social interaction. Through language and communication, symbols provide the means by which reality is constructed. Reality is primarily a social product, and all that is humanly consequential—self, mind, society, culture—emerges from and is dependent on symbolic interactions for its existence. Even the physical environment is relevant to human conduct mainly as it is interpreted through symbolic systems. Importance of Meanings The label symbolic interactionism was coined by Herbert Blumer (1969), one of Mead's students. Blumer, who did much to shape this perspective, specified its three basic premises:...
Words: 2732 - Pages: 11
...SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Functionalism perspective focuses on how parts of society are functional and the connection between parts of society. A strength of the functionalist perspective is to work together to encourage stability. Another strength states that society is organized and systematic. It says that the basic needs have to be met in order for society to survive. One weakness is it puts a similarity between organism and society. Another weakness is it cannot describe social transformation. It also exaggerates the agreement that occur in society. Symbolic interactionism perspective focuses on face-to-face interaction and the use of symbols. A strength that exists in Symbolic Interactionism perspective is it takes in to account the choices individuals make and how they behave. Another strength is it is more valuable to individuals. It also gives understanding into small scale interaction. A weakness of symbolic interactionism perspective is the symbols can be misunderstood. Another weakness is it doesn’t describe social order and how it comes about. Conflict perspective focuses on how the best control the poor and the weak and the race for unusual resources. A strength in a conflict perspective is the importance of power and its role in interaction. Another strength is it speaks on how resources are restricted and this truth influences the relationship between people. A weakness is that not all interactions are analyzed in terms of conflicting interest and power relations...
Words: 303 - Pages: 2
...SOCIETY AS A PRODUCT OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS The term "symbolic interactionism" has come into use as a label for a relatively distinctive approach to the study of human life and human conduct (Blumer, 1969). With symbolic interactionism, reality is seen as social, developed interaction with others. Most symbolic interactionists believe a physical reality does indeed exist by an individual's social definitions, and that social definitions do develop in part or relation to something "real". People thus do not respond to this reality directly, but rather to the social understanding of reality; i.e., they respond to this reality indirectly through a kind of filter which consists of individuals' different perspectives. This means that humans exist not in the physical space composed of realities, but in the "world" composed only of "objects". According to Blumer, the "objects" can be divided into three types: physical objects, social objects, and abstract objects. Both individuals and society cannot be separated far from each other for two reasons. One, being that they are both created through social interaction, and two, one cannot be understood in terms without the other. Behavior is not defined by forces from the environment or inner forces such as drives, or instincts, but rather by a reflective, socially understood meaning of both the internal and external incentives that are currently presented (Meltzer et al., 1975). Herbert Blumer (1969) set out three...
Words: 2045 - Pages: 9
...According to Kendall (2012), sociology is “the systematic study of human society and social interaction.” (p.5). It is the study of societies with emphasis on modern and complex societies. Sociology is also the study of the development and structure of the human society. It is concerned with group activities such as how people interact with each other and their behavior during the interaction. Sociology includes four major sociological perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and post-modernism. All of these theories in sociology equip us with different perspectives with which to view the social world. Each of the four major theoretical perspectives offer a range of explanations about the human behavior and social...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...The symbolic interaction perspective, also called symbolic interactionism, is one of the sociological theories. This perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction. It deals with how an individual interacts according to their belief also the subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviors. Children who are getting abused for example have a tendency to not trust anyone on first interaction. It takes longer for them to develop trust for someone new after being abused by someone they love. Some kids get so abused they believe it’s their fault and will justify what is being done. It isn’t easy to talk to some young children that are being abused. Some will develop the courage to talk and speak out on what's being done, and some will be to scared to talk. It’s all based on that individual. Child abuse is not a pretty sight at all. I could never see myself going through such horror, and im glad I never had to. There is a big difference between discipline and violence. From the adults point of view it may not even be any of those reasons. Some adults don’t even seem to realize why they are doing such things to their child. It may be because of alcohol, or past problems, or maybe even just a bad day. It isn’t right though and it doesn’t justify what these adults are doing to these kids. From a symbolic perspective the adult may not even recognize what they are doing because it may have happened...
Words: 510 - Pages: 3
...ASSIGNMENT: THEORIES AND RESEARCH IN EDUCATION SOCIOLOGY PREPARED BY: MOHAMAD AZHAARI SHAH BIN SULAIMAN 4123003611 IZZAT WAZZIR IMAN BIN 4123000401 PREPARED FOR: TUAN HAJI BAGHAWI SARBINI 2.1 Definition of Educational Sociology Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) who is regarded as the ‘father’ of sociology of education clearly defines sociology of education as “a systematic study sociological perspective”. This definition of sociology of education is suitable because it speaks much of what goes on in education system. It clearly states that it is important to know sociology before knowing what sociology of education is. This is because sociology is related sociology of education. The statement “sociological perspective” stresses the social context in which people live such as society. Society is a group of people who share a certain culture and a territory. Perspective is a view of the world and it is referred to as a sociological preservative or sociological imagination. Durkheim’s statement helps us to understand that sociological perspective opens a window to another world or unfamiliar world. As we look at other world or our own, sociological imagination casts another form of light on us. This in return enables us to gain a new vision of social life. In other words it helps us to find out why people do what they do like eating, talking and many more. Sociological imagination also looks at social locations. A social location is where people are located...
Words: 3580 - Pages: 15
...theory. This perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction. 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. Symbolic interaction theory analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviors. Subjective meanings are given primacy because it is believe that people behave based on what they believe and not just on what is objectively true. Thus, society is thought to be socially constructed through human interpretation. People interpret one another’s behavior and it is these interpretations that form the social bond. These interpretations are called the “definition of the situation.” 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 themselves 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. Critics of this theory claim that symbolic interactionism...
Words: 281 - Pages: 2
...There are three primary sociological theories discussed in Chapter One of the text, Introduction to Sociology. Briefly summarize each theory and the major differences across the Functionalist, Conflict, and Symbolic Interaction perspectives. The Structural Functionalists Structural functionalist theory was formulated by Radcliffe-Brown, and expounded by Evans-Pritchard: The structural functionalist sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability and focuses on the relationships between the various social institutions like government or religions. This theory recognizes that there is an inherent drive within human societies to stick together and strive toward equilibrium, the cohesion issue. Social inequality refers to any scenario in which individuals in a society do not have equal social status. Social cohesion describes the bonds that bring people together in a society. Interdependence is a central theme referring to the parts of society sharing a common set of principles. (Vissing, 2011) The Conflict Theorists The conflict theory focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society by emphasizing the social, political, or material inequality of a social group with a ruling class and a subject class including classes, genders, races, religions, etc. Within society people have differing amounts of material and non-material resources (the wealthy vs. the poor) and that the more powerful groups...
Words: 672 - Pages: 3
...Major Theoretical Sociological Perspectives: Similarities and Differences Sociology: the scientific study of the development, structure and functioning of human society (Oxford). When the topic of discussion is sociology, Auguste Comte, the “father of positivism” would come to mind, as it was he who first coined the term “sociology” (Kreis, 2009). Comte also emphasized that the study of society must be scientific and he pushed sociologists to employ the use of qualitative methods such as observation, historical comparative analysis and experimentation. Sociological Perspective is the way in which we view sociological phenomena (Long, 2011). Among the many perspectives that exist there are three theoretical perspectives that are widely acknowledged by sociologists, these are the symbolic-interactionist perspective, conflict perspective and functionalist perspective. The analysis of social phenomenon occurs at varying levels by one of the three main theoretical perspectives or paradigms which provide sociologists with an orienting position or rather a philosophical position used to guide their questions about a society and its inhabitants. These phenomena range from evident interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and its social behavior. Everything is studied from specific events straight up to the “big picture”, this would include the micro levels and macro levels of a society’s social patterns. The origin of the symbolic-interactionist theory traces back to...
Words: 2448 - Pages: 10
...Momodou L Ceesay SOC-210-OL Reaction Report 1 According, to the text there are two broad categories for “Theoretical Perspectives on Families” (Strong, DeVault, and Cohen 37). The first category is referred to as Macro-Level Theories. Macro-Level Theories comprises focusing on the family as a “social institution” (Strong, DeVault, and Cohen 37). “A social institution is the organized pattern of statuses and structures, roles, and rules by which a society attempts to meet certain of its most basic needs” (Strong, DeVault, Cohen 37). It refers to the family as a whole and can further be broken down into Family ecology theory, Structural functionalism, Conflict theory, and Feminist theory. The second category is Micro-Level Theories. Micro-Level Theories involve “emphasizing what happens in families, looking at everyday behavior, interaction between family members, patterns of communication and so on” (Strong, DeVault, and Cohen 37). It refers to individuals within the family. They can further be broken down into the following four categories, Symbolic interaction, Social exchange theory, Developmental theory and family systems theory. The two examples of “Theoretical Perspectives on Families” that will be explained are Feminist theory and Symbolic interactions. Feminist perspective or theory refers to gender and the “inequity of power in society and especially in family life” (Strong, DeVault, and Cohen 43). The women’s movement didn't begin until the 1960's...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...Sociology, there are many perspectives or theories each with their own view on issues. The perspectives or theories that are more popular are functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interactionism. Each analyzes a topic with different approaches and has different outcomes. In this paper I will examine the views, approach, and societal effects that functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interactionism have about the family structure. II. Sociological Perspectives: A. Functionalism B. Conflict C. Symbolic Interactionism III. Family: A. Functionalist perspective B. Conflict perspective C. Symbolic Interaction perspective D. Similarities and differences IV. Types of Families A. Nuclear Family B. Single hood- Mother or Father C. Step-families D. Societal effects V. Conclusion: A. Family is any group of individuals connected either biologically, emotionally, or legally. Family is not a social organization to dominate one group by the other. To functionalist, family is a component of society performing a key role in the socialization of children and many other tasks. However, conflict theorist view family not as a functional part of society but as a smaller class in society where one group oppresses the other. From a symbolic interactionist standpoint, family is a social group that allows individuals to develop both a concept of self and their identities through social interactions. Although each perspective has certain views that...
Words: 2624 - Pages: 11
...Symbolic Interactionism as Implicated in Rehabilitation Johanna Jefferies Psy 350 Deliverable #1, prompt #3 15 October 2014 Symbolic Interactionism as Implicated in Rehabilitation Symbolic Interactionism, derived from the work of George Herbert Mead, is a sociological perspective that is important to social psychology. The framework of symbolic interactionism has its strengths and weaknesses in terms of its ability to explain behavior. I will attempt to utilize this theory to explain the social problem of recidivism and then explore the ways in which it can be used to alleviate this social problem. Symbolic interactionism is a distinctive approach to the study of human life and human conduct in which reality is formed as a result of the interactions between individuals. According to this theory, people do not respond directly to reality, they respond to the social understanding of reality. This means that humans exist not in the physical space composed of realities but in the "world" composed only of "objects." The concept of object is a fundamental piece of Mead’s analysis. Human beings live in a world or environment of objects, and their activities are formed around objects. According to Mead, objects are human constructs and not selfexisting entities with intrinsic nature (Blumer, 1966). According to the symbolic interactionism ...
Words: 2034 - Pages: 9
...discriminations will affect the person’s salary, work conditions, and determine if they get hired or not. Throughout time the United States has made several laws to protect certain groups against discrimination in the workplace. These laws have tremendously helped those groups however, they are still illegally discriminated against. There are numerous ways to analyze why there is discrimination in the workplace but we will be using the three sociologic perspectives. The three sociologic perspectives that we will use to analyze this topic will be the Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interaction. The Structural Functionalist Analysis will focus on how discrimination in the workplace will undermine the functions of the organization. Then the Conflict Theory analyzes how stronger social groups with power and money dominate the minority group. Finally, the Symbolic Interaction perspective will emphasize how the traditional labels applied to people will affect how they are treated in the workplace. By utilizing these three perspective we will...
Words: 1666 - Pages: 7
...examined at three different levels, micro-level, macro-level, and global-level. The micro-level examines social dynamics of face-to-face interactions between people. The macro-level studies the larger scale dynamics of social interactions that occur within a society. At the global level, social life is examined through the structures and processes that occur beyond state borders or specific societies. It is common that more than one level may be effective when studying...
Words: 1830 - Pages: 8
...Sociology includes four major theoretical perspectives which includes The Functionalist perspective, the Conflict perspective, the Symbolic Interactionist perspective and the Postmodernist perspective. Each one of these perspective Explains about the social world and human behavior. Sociological theories help us and also explains and predicts the social world in which we all live in. The functionalist perspective are based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system (Kendall21). Meaning that the majority of society have the same beliefs, values and expectations on life. For example, each social institutions contributes important functions for society. Family provides stability, reproducing and social interactions. Education teaches different skills, knowledge and culture to our youth. Politics helps with the members of governing our society. Economics provide for the production, distribution, and consumption of our goods and services. Religion provides moral guidance and ways to worship a higher power. This is where one functions needs the other to complete itself. The functionalist perspectives takes the approach on the study of Sociology by how society focuses on how each part influences and is influenced by other parts. The Conflict perspective views society as different groups and interest who are competing for power and resources. The conflict perspective explains many different aspect of our social world by looking at...
Words: 1056 - Pages: 5
