Symbolic interactionism plays a significant role in day-to-day activities. This sociological theory observes the impact of language and symbols to explain social interactions. According to Giddens et al., George Herbert Mead advocated that we see ourselves in the eyes of others and that makes us self-conscious beings (18). As someone who has battled a social anxiety disorder for most of my life, I’m aware that it causes a higher sense of observation within me to define the symbols of communication. It could be said, in my opinion, that social anxiety is symbolic interactionism to the extreme. If the average individual can visualize how they and their actions appear to society to distinguish who they are, those who suffer through this anxiety automatically assume that they receive harsher judgment from those around them. From my experiences, just the thought of what others may think of you when they see you can completely halt your social life.
Having this social phobia growing up, I can connect this theory with the disorder. It was the act of projecting my own judgments of myself onto what I felt people saw in me that caused a …show more content…
However, more commonly now, how we read into electronic interactions (i.e. social media and text messages) can shape our view of our relationships and society. My thoughts, at times, amplify simple exchanges where I may assign an emotion that may or may not be there. It is even more difficult to interact electronically because it provides room for misreading the message. I have, on many occasions, allowed this form of communication to fuel an argument because a text message could read as insulting or judgmental without an “LOL”, depending on the context. It is often difficult to read sarcasm and easy to see a message in all capital letters as yelling or aggressive speech. Reading out of context creates many
Having this social phobia growing up, I can connect this theory with the disorder. It was the act of projecting my own judgments of myself onto what I felt people saw in me that caused a …show more content…
However, more commonly now, how we read into electronic interactions (i.e. social media and text messages) can shape our view of our relationships and society. My thoughts, at times, amplify simple exchanges where I may assign an emotion that may or may not be there. It is even more difficult to interact electronically because it provides room for misreading the message. I have, on many occasions, allowed this form of communication to fuel an argument because a text message could read as insulting or judgmental without an “LOL”, depending on the context. It is often difficult to read sarcasm and easy to see a message in all capital letters as yelling or aggressive speech. Reading out of context creates many