Symbolic

Interactionalism
Symbolic interaction theory focuses on the
interpretation (social meaning) that is given to
behavior, and on the way such interpretation helps
to construct the social world, the identities of
people, and, ultimately how they behave. All
interaction theories are concerned with the way in
which meaning is constructed.
The symbolic interaction perspective, also called
symbolic interactionism, is a major framework
of the sociological theory. This perspective relies
on the symbolic meaning that people develop and
build upon in the process of social interaction.
Symbol refers to meanings. For symbolic interactions,
things, objects, ideas, beliefs, people, values, states of
being) do not simply exist: they exist in the meanings
they have. On the other hand, meanings are established
in communication; hence the importance of interaction.
Our word exists in the meanings it has for us, and our
meanings come from our interactions. People, like
meanings, exist in a social context.
Symbolic Interactionism
 Analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings that people impose on objects,
events, and behaviors. Subjective meanings are given primacy because it is believed
that people behave based on what they believe and not just on what is objectively true.
 Looks at individual and group meaning- making, focusing on human action instead of
large-scale social structures.
 Its main postulate is based that the human beings have the capacity of thought, which is
molded by the social interaction, which is learned of the meanings and symbols that
allow us to act and interpret, modifying or altering the meanings based on the
interpretation of the situation, to interact with itself and through their actions and
interactions to join between the groups and society.
Christian symbol-and it still is-of hope, as God
placed a rainbow in the sky after the Great
Flood

Today: The rainbow symbolizes the LGBTQIA++

community
 Basic principles of symbolic interaction:
1. Humans have capacity for thought.
2. Thought is shaped by social interaction.
3. Through interaction, people learn symbols and meanings that allow
them to think.
4. Meanings and symbols allow for human action.
5. People can interpret a situation and modify their action or
interaction.
6. People can create own meanings.
7. Groups and societies are made up of patterns of action and
interaction.
 The proponents of symbolic interactionism and their views about oneself and the society

a. Mead’s Concept of Self –

George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts in
February of 1863. ' In 1894, Mead moved from The University of Michigan to Chicago,
Illinois, where he would later become the center of the sociological department at The
University of Chicago.
After 1893 taught at the University of Chicago until his death. - Believed people
have the capacity to think and decide on their own how they should act in certain
situations. - Their reactions are based on their perceptions and definitions of the
situation. - People cope with the reality of things according to their comprehension of the
situation. He laid the groundwork for symbolic interaction with his discussion about the
process of interaction in the formation of meanings for individuals. 'In simple form,
people act based on symbolic meanings they find within a given situation.' The goals of
human interactions are to create a shared meaning.
 In Mead’s book on Mind, Self, and Society, he discussed the following:
1. The mind as a process, a conversation within itself. - People have the capacity to
control their responses to the environment.
2. Self involves the process where actors reflect on themselves as objects. - Develops
from social forces and social experience. The self-breaks down into two processes or
phases that take place in any human interaction:
2.1 The I is described as the unorganized response of the self to the attitudes
of others - the spontaneous disposition or impulse to act.
2.2 The me, in contrast, is a set of organized attitudes of others that the
individual assumes in response - that is, those perspectives on the self that the
individual has interpreted from others.
3. Society cannot exist without minds and self. - Humans have ability to manipulate
environment so multiple societies exist. The ‘I’ and ‘Me’ - I is source of creativity and
spontaneity. - Me is formed from the perceptions others’ actions and views, including
own thoughts on oneself.
 b. Cooley's 'Looking Glass Self' Along with Mead
is his friend, Charles Horton Cooley. He helped
originate symbolic interaction theory. Cooley is best
known for the concept of the 'looking glass self,' which
he illustrated with the following statement:

“I am not what I think I

am, and I am not what you
think I am; I am what I
think you think I am. “
This means that we as individuals define how we perceive
ourselves by how we think others perceive us. To put this
component of the theory in perspective, consider this: It is
your first day of high school. You are at lunch, holding
your food tray and nervously scanning the crowd to find
the best place to sit. As you find your seat, you internalize
the glances you get from the students you pass at the other
tables, interpreting what you think they are thinking of you
based on their facial expressions, body language, and
verbiage. You are, in effect, redefining who you think you
are based on your interpretation of other people's reactions
to you.
c. Blumer's Symbolic Interactionism Herbert Blumer
(1900-1987) was actually a student of Mead and he
expanded on Mead's discussion of the self in relation to
social behavior. Despite much of the groundwork being
established by Mead, Blumer is traditionally known for
being the brain behind the theory of symbolic
interactionism. In fact, his work „Symbolic Interactionism:
Perspective and Method‟ synthesized his contributions
with those of Mead and Cooley and coined the term
symbolic interaction.
Blumer argued that people's behavior is based on the meaning those
behaviors have to them. Those meanings are based on and derived from
interactions an individual has with others. It is important to note that
these meanings are subject to change based on an individual's
interpretation. This argument varies from others that preceded it
because it is based on an individual's interpretation of something, as
opposed to a structural or functional perspective on how behaviors or
actions are given meaning by humans. Blumer was one of sociology’s
most prominent and esteemed practitioners. - Leading spokesperson for
the Chicago style of symbolic interactionism for an entire generation. -
Believed that humans construct their own actions and are free of
internal drives. - Additionally, actions are a consequence of reflexive
and deliberate processes determined by an individual in response to
their environment.
According to Herbert Blumer, symbolic interaction rests on three basic premises/ principles:
1. Human beings act toward things on the basis on the meanings the things have for them. E.g.
Book – a ‘purchase’. For which you paid, which you then had to carry home with your other
purchases. These things, taken to gather, are ‘possessions’, for which you may feel the need of
more closet space. Alternatively, you may have to pay by weight to move to another
apartment. The book also has meaning as a book, as something to read, something to study,
something for which you may be ‘responsible’ on a test.
2. The meanings of such things are derived from, or grow out of, social interaction. E.g. When a
child picks up a bug from off the ground, the people around her may have different reactions.
In one family, someone slaps the child’s hand and washes it: the bug is bad, dirty thing. In
another setting, someone brings a piece of paper to hold the bug and a magnifying glass with
which to view it: the bug is interesting, something to study. In another setting, someone ties a
string around the bug and teaches the child how to play with it: the bug is a toy. In addition, in
some other setting, the child is thanked, and the bug put aside to be cooked: the bug is food.
3. 3. These meanings are handled in and modified through an interpretative process used by the
person in dealing with the things he encounters. Meaning making and understanding is an
ongoing interpretive process, during which the initial meaning might remain the same, evolve
slightly, or change radically.
d. Erving Goffman (1922–1982) was a major Canadian-American sociologist who
played a significant role in the development of modern American sociology. He is
considered by some to be the most influential sociologist of the 20th century. He is
considered a pioneer of micro-sociology, or the close examination of the social
interactions that compose everyday life.
• Presentation of self (Goffman): An identity that one presents to others in an
attempt to manage their impression of him or her. We act a certain way, so others view
us in this certain way.
• Dramaturgy (Goffman): Method of analyzing social interactions in the form of a play. We are
the actors; we present ourselves in a specific way in the front stage and act as we truly are in the
backstage.
• Stigma (Goffman): Describes a mark of disgrace. Sometimes in
physical form, other times as poor personality traits (weak or dishonest).
e. Arlie Russell Hochschild is one of the most
imaginative and productive feminist sociologists
of the last thirty years. The intellectual threads
running through all of Arlie Hochschild's work
are her use of gender as a category of analysis,
her focus on emotion as a sociological topic of
investigation, and her concerns about the role of
women in society. Her 1973 article, "A Review of
Sex Role Research," published in the American
Journal of Sociology, helped to focus the
attention of sociologists on the study of gender.
 ANGER

HAPPINESS

SADNESS

CONFUSSION

EXCITEMENT

SURPRISED
Read and analyze the sociological perspectives below. Write only the letter of your choice.
A=Mead B= Blumer C= Cooley D=Goffman E= Hochschild

________1. Meanings are based on and derived from interactions an individual has with others.
________2. The I is described as the unorganized response of the self to the attitudes of others - the
spontaneous disposition or impulse to act.
________3. A sociologist concerns about the role of women in society.
________4. Actions are a consequence of reflexive and deliberate processes determined by an
individual in response to their environment.
________5. Describes a mark of disgrace. Sometimes in physical form other times as poor personality
traits (weak or dishonest)
________6. This sociologist emphasizes the importance of the vocal gesture (verbal communication).
________7. A sociologist focused on emotion as a sociological topic of investigation.
________8. A pioneer of micro-sociology, or the close examination of the social interactions that
compose everyday life.
________9. This means that we as individuals define how we perceive ourselves by how we think
others perceive us.
________10. Method of analyzing social interactions in the form of a play.
1.B
2.A
3.E
4.A
5.D
6.A
7.E
8.D
9.B
10.D
 My community, my society!

Write words that describe symbolic interactionism in

understanding culture and traditions in your community.
Expound your answer.