1. Chapter 2 Interpreting Social Problems: Aging Symbolic Interactionism
Pages 39-44

2. Symbolic Interactionism
The sociological theory that focuses on how we make sense out of life is called symbolic interactionism.
We see the world through symbols, things to which we attach meaning and that we use to communicate with one another
SI studies how symbols give us our view of the world and how we use them to communicate
Our views of life include what we consider to be social problems

3. Describe someone who is advanced in age, or an “old person”.
What are symbols?
Describe someone who is advanced in age, or an “old person”.

4. Describe this car and the person who owns it.
What are symbols?
Describe this car and the person who owns it.

5. What are symbols?
Describe this woman.

6. What are symbols? Symbols: Images on television Movies
Printed and spoken word
Body language
Gestures
Tone of voice
Clothing
Hair styles

7. Why is J.Lo so successful?
Symbols Today
In 1970 Robin Williams identified core
American values:
Equal Opportunity
Achievement and Success
Material Comfort
Activity and Work
Practicality and Efficiency
Progress
Science
Democracy and Enterprise
Freedom
From Macionis, John J Sociology. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 66.
Why is J.Lo so
successful?

8. Find an image of a celebrity
that you like…
How is your celebrity different or similar to J.Lo?
What does this image of a celebrity tell us about how we should live our lives, how we should look and behave?
Do you think you should strive to be like celebrities? (both in terms of looks and lifestyle)? Why or why not?

9. Symbols Change
“Old” used to mean wisdom, generosity, graciousness, and beauty
The elderly were admired for their accomplishments and accumulated knowledge.
As society advanced in public heath and medicine, many people reached old age and the elderly were no longer distinct

10. Symbols Change
With machinery and mass production, work was becoming “deskilled”
Younger workers became just as knowledgeable and productive as the older ones
As the elderly lost the uniqueness that had brought them respect, their social value declined
“old” begins to mean uselessness, foolishness, and no longer looked up to

11. Symbols Change Because symbols change, so do social problems
When only a few people made it to old age, it was a personal problem, not a social problem
Today, with so many people reaching old age, we perceive elderly people as a group
Social action is appropriate for solving their problems

12. Development of Symbolic Interactionism
How we symbolize our self and others influences our behavior.
All of us make choices on the basis of what we think fits our self-images
George Herbert Mead focused on the role of symbols in social life
Symbols allow us to have goals, to plan, to evaluate, and to develop our self-concept
Symbols allow us to take the roles of others and put ourselves in their shoes
Mead called this action of taking the role of other people in general the generalized other

13. Development of Symbolic Interactionism
Charles Horton Cooley analyzed how the self develops through interactions with others
people come to view themselves as they think others perceive them
Our interactions with others create a looking-glass self

14. Development of Symbolic Interactionism
Our self has 3 elements:
How we imagine we appear to others
How we think others feel about what they perceive
How we feel about this reflected image
Our self-esteem depends on our looking-glass self
If a society reflects negative images to its old people, the elderly tend to think of themselves negatively

16. Development of Symbolic Interactionism
Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann developed the concept of the social construction of reality
When things happen to us we have to figure out what they mean
Based on what we think they mean, we respond with a reaction
As we go through life we continuously make sense out of what happens to us
Another way of saying this is that each
of us is involved in the social
construction of reality.

17. Development of Symbolic Interactionism
A Japanese soldier who loses
a battle and falls on his sword,
symbol of honor and duty explain
his actions.
A suicide in America does not
have the same symbols that
explain the action. Symbols are
that it is the family’s responsibility
to prevent the suicide which leads
to guilt.
In both cases, the survivors are
using the symbols their culture
provides to socially construct reality.
The reality is different because the
cultures provide different symbols.
Reality does not come with built-in meanings, but, we construct our realities as we apply symbol to our experiences
Ex: When is someone considered old? Why?
Because not all cultures have the same symbols, the construction of reality changes from culture to culture

18. Read page 45 Write a one page response
Classwork/Homework
Read page 45
Write a one page response

19. Applying Symbolic Interactionism to Social Problems
Social problems are socially constructed.
social problems do not exist until some condition of society is called a social problem
The fact that there are elderly people does not mean that there is a social problem
the status of the elderly depends on how the elderly are viewed or labeled
Because social problems are socially constructed, what is considered a social problem changes over time

20. Applying Symbolic Interactionism to Social Problems
Symbolic interactionists stress the significance of labeling
people categorize everything
Ex: the label of “old age” is sometimes used to explain health problems
Labels affect how we perceive and react to social problems