Symbolic Convergence Theory

While there may be many various explanations to the theory, involving the sociological imagination, C. Wright Mills explains it as one of the key ways, in which individuals can understand society and social change. (sociological imagination handout, pg3) It is similar to putting on a new pair of glasses, in this case, with sociological lenses. One may begin to see the world, society, behaviors, and everyday interactions in a distinctively different way. To apply the sociological imagination,…

Dramaturgy is a sociological concept that stems from Symbolic Interactionism, which was coined by George Herbert Mead. Symbolic interaction relies on the perspective of symbolic meaning through interaction with society and with one’s self. Dramaturgy is another aspect of this and was developed by Erving Goffman. Goffman explains this concept as a theatrical act that explains human interaction and behavior with one another. According to Goffman, Dramaturgy is an act that an individual takes part…

Walk into a room with any number of people and you will fail to find a single person who is being their true self. This is what was proposed by Symbolic Interactionist Erving Goffman, who coined the term “dramaturgical analysis.” According to this theory, people assume different personas throughout the day depending on the circumstances, almost like an actor playing a role on stage: “He said that when we are backstage, we relax and act like ourselves, but when we are front stage we use…

social enigmas. Depending on what culture, class, or ethnology an individual or group is from. This allows these individuals to obtain a sense of how to act no matter what physically true. Although, Symbolic-Interactionism focuses on the finer details it neglects the problem as a whole. This theory is like viewing or explaining the “Seabees” without realizing that they are just a fraction of the Navy. Just because one part of the Navy feels a particular way about “A” doesn’t mean that the…

Alexis Tandazo Arthur McLuhan SOCI 3060 20 October 2015 The symbolic interaction perspective is a major theoretical framework in microsociology and social psychology, which analyzes the language and symbols used on a daily basis to give meaning to the process of social interaction. George Herbert Mead and Herbert George Blumer developed symbolic interaction throughout the 19th century, with the basic notion that symbolic interactionism analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings…

Interactionism is the theoretical perspective that suggests our identity or sense of self is shaped by social interactions (Lamanna, M. A., & Riedmann, A. (2012)). There are many principles that are viewed by an Interactionist, such as the way people interpret and give meaning to behavior, the process of labeling, communication and understanding with and of others, etc. Through analyzation of the movie Silver Linings Playbook, the Interactionist’s perspective seemed most appropriate. The main…

employs symbolic interactionism theory which has been widely used to investigate an array of issues within the field of social psychology including identity. On a very basic level that explains the interrelationship combining symbols, objects and meanings, Hewitt (2003) points out that “human beings employ symbols, carve out and act toward objects rather than merely respond to stimuli, and act on the basis of interpreted and not only fixed meaning.” (p. 307) He maintains that: “the symbolic…

Manifest and Latent Functions After the origin of structural functionalism, over time many sociologists were able to add their two cents to the paradigm. One such functionalist, Robert Merton, extended the theory by describing two possible outcomes of functionalism, these being manifest functions and latent functions. Manifest functions are simply the “intended functions of a social structure”, while latent functions are “the less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social structure”…

1. According to the text, self-presentation is something that we act out in response to the expectations of others. It is how one chooses to present themselves to an audience. Self- presentation is the cardinal decision that one chooses to make. For example, women may not generally come out and say their opinions or express their views on certain matters in the public eye due to its displeasing nature. Men, however, can voice their opinions on whatever subject and whenever they deem fit…

choices. As seen from this, conflict theorist’s perspective is similar to the symbolic interactionist in that in both cases, having many children gives the parent a higher status in the society. It is accepted in the community and hence men and women feel proud of having many children. However, the difference is that conflict theorist views women as being submissive to men. They do not do as they wish, while with the symbolic interactionist perspective, women are willing to bear many children as…