Symbolic interactionism

Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic interactionism is a social theory that examines and explains human activities, behaviours, and social structures based on societal interactions (Meltzer, 2014). Through them, human perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes are changed creating a new paradigm of an individual’s world. Sociologists argue that this theory is important in analyzing and shaping human fashion styles, material wealth, and social behaviours. Although there are many influences on a person’s…

Symbolic interactionism functions with three main ideas, the first being: “Humans act towards things on the basis of the meanings that these things have for them” (Blumer, 1969, p.2). People will react to different types of things based on their own experiences with them. It is completely objective, depending on the person’s own personal feelings. Everyone’s meaning attached to a symbol can be different. The example of different symbol meanings that Blumer provides the reader with is a tree.…

Strangely enough one of my close friends shares a birthday with the famous symbolic interactionism theorists because Herbert George Blumer who is a white male was born on March 7th, 1900 in Missouri. He grew up on a farm with his mother being a homemaker and his father making cabinets. However, this small town feeling did not stop him wanting to be surrounded in the world of business. It is when he attended college was where Herbert got his first taste of the sociological and psychological…

(1934), learning is seen to occur through social interaction (Barker, Quennerstedt, & Annerstedt, 2015). Along with symbols, meaning, and interaction, the self is a basic concept in symbolic interactionism (Encyclopedia, 2017). Education is a learned behavior through social interaction, thus supporting Symbolic Interactionism. The content of self-concepts reflects the content and organization of society (Encyclopedia, 2017). Technology has changed the way we interact but nonetheless, our human…

of small groups. An example of microsociology would be the symbolic interactionism which is a sociological framework in which human beings are viewed as living in a world of meaningful objects (Schaefer, 2014). Examples of “objects” would include relationships, symbols and material things; further examples would be showing respect with a salute, and raising the middle finger for an insult or to show disrespect. Since symbolic interactionism is a study of objects, it can be classified as…

Symbolic Interactionism According to the Three Sociological Perspectives, “Symbolic interactionism is based on five core ideas” (Colomy 33). The first defining attribute talks about how humans react to words and means upon how they are said. When someones makes a comment it can come off different or sound rude than how it was intended to be. The second assumptions is when a humans changes the way they talk to someones to based on how they are acting or feeling. People may change they talk to…

As mentioned in the present chapter, symbolic interactionism is an important theory in sociology that examines “how we [as humans] construct meanings, how we use symbols to communicate with one another and how symbols are the foundation of our world” (Henslin, 2012). In the field of sociology this theory consists of three fundamental themes –“humans have a self,” “people construct meanings, and act on the basis of those meanings” and “people take into account the possible reactions of others”…

Symbolic interactionism explains that our society revolves around symbols and without these symbols our social life would be nonexistent, “We would not know to whom we owe respect and obligations, or from whom we can expect privileges – two elements that lie at the essence of human relationships.” (Henslin Pg 23). Before mid-nineteenth century, the symbol of marriage was associated with obligation and duty due to the fact women could not independently support themselves. But as society…

Ernest Burgess (1926), the family represents a unified set of interacting individuals, that is, unity in family life comes about as a result of interactions among various family members.”(Schwartz and Scott, 2013, pg. 49). Therefore, the symbolic interactionism theory suggest that the structure of the family is not definite but instead it is socially constructed. The reason that family has become important to individuals and to society is merely due to the meaning associated with the function of…

This is because to me symbolic interactionism seems like a subset of critical race theory. The primary focus of symbolic interactionism is phrased in a way that could be an effect of critical race theory in general. For example because of the systemic nature of racism, through history there have been many negative images and stereotypes…