Symbolic Interactionism: A Sociological Analysis

Finally, the symbolic interactionist perspective is focused around our daily interactions with others. Social interaction includes the manner in which we communicate, interpret, and respond to another person’s actions and words (Ferrante 2014). The symbolic interactionist perspective claims that interpersonal interactions are dependent on three factors: (1) self-awareness, (2) shared symbols, and (3) negotiated order. Self-awareness signifies the ability to recognize how others perceive their own word and actions. It can be said that one is self-aware when possessing the capacity to make the appropriate adjustments in response to imagining others’ reactions. A symbol refers to an “object to which people assign a name, meaning, or value (Blumer 1969),” (Ferrante 2014). An object can take on various meanings depending on the audience and cultural context. Negotiated order is the ability to have awareness of how one should behave and speak, given a specific situation (i.e. social construct/chain-of-command, environment in which the interaction takes place, etc.). When studying sociological issues in …show more content…
He lived from 1900 to 1987, developing his core ideology circa 1969. His conclusions were based largely on the works of George Herbert Mead, who made claim that interacting with others is a crucial component to developing one’s self. Charles Horton Cooley also contributed to the symbolic interactionist theory, saying that we imagine how we appear to others, we imagine the judgements of others, and we develop a self concept based upon the eyes of others. These three sociologist must have asked themselves questions similar to: “What meanings do persons put on objects and events? How are symbols used to communicate with others? How ins language used in creation of the self concept, affecting one’s social self and self esteem?” (Sociology R100 Power