Theory 3: Symbolic Interactionism

Questions What is a symbol? How important do you think symbols are in your life? What are examples of symbols in American society or your life?

What is a symbol? Symbol: An item/object that has meaning and has hidden value/meaning in other social situations. EX: Dove is a bird, but also a sign for peace

Symbolic Interactionists George Herbert Mead Herbert Blumer Erving Goffman Howard Becker

Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic Interactionism: believe that the root of society comes from its symbols.

Symbolic Interactionism Pick one of these images and write down as many things as you can that relate to the image (Feelings, objects, people, etc)

Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic Interactionists: focuses on how communication influences the way people interact with each other, to create the social world in which we live. They suggest that the symbols we use are random, meaning that they vary from culture to culture. Hand gestures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbsOyLeI6Q8

Symbolic Interactionism Our definition of what has value depends on our understanding of it. Context and setting affects our understanding of a social event. Social order is the result when the members of society share common definitions of what is appropriate. Nazi party, democratic party, republican party, communist party, etc…..

Symbolic Interactionism Micro-level: theory that focuses on one person at a time Symbolic Theorists take individual behavior and apply this to the larger focus behavior People develop standards and norms through a process of interacting with others

George Herbert Mead George Herbert Mead is the father of Symbolic Interactionism Suggests that at the center/root of society, there are symbols to understand the world around us. We then use these symbols to develop a sense of self identity. Symbols make us realize self awareness of beliefs

Mead It is this identity/self that we then take into the world and interact with other identities (people’s personality) to create society. Thus, building blocks of society start with our minds, where we interpret symbols.

Mead Mead suggests that we discover a sense of who we are through micro interactions we have every day. Day-to-day interactions with others Various social symbols enter our minds, where their meaning is interpreted These social symbols then tell us how to react. Never-ending process, therefore, we always have a sense of who we are.

Mead Our “self” (identity) can change they do change based on how we interpret the symbols thrown our way. This is why it is hard to understand why people do things out of the ordinary of society Self is your identity, it’s what makes you who you are and separates you from others

Herbert Blumer Came up with 3 rules of symbolic interaction Humans act a certain way towards symbol/s because of the meaning that society assigns to the symbol/s. +How we act when we see a symbol (McDonald's) A symbols meaning comes from social interaction that one has with others. + Meaning comes from interactions. (Smile) The meaning of symbols can change when a person is put into different social situations. +Individual determines meaning themselves and apply the correct meaning in different situations

Erving Goffman Goffman developed a theory called dramaturgy. a theory of interaction in which all life is like acting. People are constantly “acting” in order to convince people of the character/role/status they wish to portray to the outside world. Person is Not faking character People are concerned about what the rest of the world will think of them adjust their social interactions accordingly.

Howard Becker Becker suggests that human action is related to the labels attached to it. In his book, Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, Becker suggests that a label is attached to a certain behavior when a group with powerful social status labels it deviant.

Howard Becker He suggests that deviance is rooted in the reactions and responses of others to an individuals acts. Becker would suggest that the label we ascribe to people has a major influence on their behavior.

Criticisms of Symbolic Interactionism Critics of symbolic interactionism suggest that his perspective ignores the coercive effects of social structure, focusing too much on the power of the individual to co-create his or her world.

Symbol assignment Create a new symbol for the city you made. Below are a few examples used for the United States. Make sure yours is original and not closely related to other images that are widely known/accepted. Draw this image on some computer paper Give a 2-3 sentence explanation of your symbol