The Symbolic

Looking at society, there is a lot to try and explain. Luckily, there are three main theories that we can look at in order to understand the world we live in. These include symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory. Each one helps sociologists understand the world more. Symbolic interactionism focuses on the symbols and details of everyday life and what they mean to society. This theory was introduced to American sociology by George Mead around the 1920's. According to this theory, people add meanings to certain symbols and act according to these meanings. These symbols can be complex or simple, like how words would be a symbol in conversation. Words have a certain meaning to the one saying them, hoping the one listening has the same view of those words to create an effective conversation. Anything can be a symbol. One example I…

In choosing symbolic interactionism for this discussion post I referred to a period of my life spent living and working in a planned retirement community in Norther Arkansas. Working within this community of predominately retired and aged couples offered unique insight into the final chapters of many varied and distinctive lives. Interacting and working for such a highly specific sub-culture presented very specific and often unique challenges. The service industry was the main employer in this…

human behavior; one that is still present is the Symbolic Interactions theory. The article “More women are running in this election than ever before – 30 per cent of candidates, By Leslie Young,” heavily portrays symbolic interactions within political issues. There are many critiques questioning the ability of this theory, whether or not do symbols really provide meaning to our world, whether these symbols affect the way we communicate in our society to bring meaning to things, however it is…

Symbolic Interactionism is symbolic meaning that people used to interact in the society. Different cultures and subcultures might have their own ways of symbolic interactionism which focuses on social interaction among particular group of people. It is used for different culture identity as well and it is the view that people react to other people and objects based on the personal views. With symbols, meaning, and interaction, the self or identity could be a basic concept in symbolic…

To understand Messner’s study we first need to understand what symbolic interactionism is. Symbolic interactionism is the perspective that people develop and grow by the process of their social interaction. It was developed by George Herbert Mead in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The three core assumptions include that we respond to things in our environment based on their meanings, meanings are not inherent in things; they emerge from social interaction, and shared cultural meanings are…

Symbolic Interaction looks at how the self is the mediator between role expectations and individual behavior (Walker and Lynn 2000). The self and identity are the line between social institution and individual’s beliefs and behaviors. There is a loose fit between role expectation and performance of the role. To create a self and role internalization is an essential part of interpersonal social relations. One theorist, states that role expectation are internalized into the self-concept through…

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…

Symbolic Interactionism focus is on wanting to understand society. They focus and argue on the micro, the small day to day interaction with peers, groups etc. The way we engage in things and the way we do things. Symbolic Interactionism argues that human behavior is not an objective fact. You attach the means to what people do. The emphasis is on habits, the norms that build society. Society depends on symbolic culture, language and meaning, which examines the roles of people day-to-day…

management is under the feminist theory in the textbook and all the major theories can explain emotion management well, symbolic interactionism explains this concept superlatively. Symbolic interactionism exhibits how emotion management involves understanding symbols, adopting roles, and connecting symbols and roles to take part in role-playing, thereby explaining how emotion management assists communication. Due to its prevalence, if asked, anyone…

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…