Symbolic Interactionism Sociology

Looking at society, there is a lot to try and explain. Luckily, there are three main theories that we can look at in order to understand the world we live in. These include symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory. Each one helps sociologists understand the world more. Symbolic interactionism focuses on the symbols and details of everyday life and what they mean to society. This theory was introduced to American sociology by George Mead around the 1920's. According to this theory, people add meanings to certain symbols and act according to these meanings. These symbols can be complex or simple, like how words would be a symbol in conversation. Words have a certain meaning to the one saying them, hoping the one listening has the same view of those words to create an effective conversation. Anything can be a symbol. One example I …show more content…
One thing could not run without the other. Take for example, schooling. The government provides society with schools for children. These children grow up educated, making it more likely they will get a better job to support a family. Being educated, they will most likely become good citizens who pay taxes to the government. It all goes around in a big circle. Functionalism is all about stability and productivity for all. Every person in society works for what is best for society as a whole. According to Durkheim, this happens in one of two ways, Mechanical solidarity or organic solidarity. Mechanical solidarity is when people have the same beliefs and also the same types of work. Organic solidarity is when there are varying types of work but people still hold the same values. Robert Merton discussed peoples actions using functionalism using manifest, intentional, and latent functions which are unintentional. The theory of functionalism focuses on the good of society and how it functions as a