Symbolic interactionism is a major sociological Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social activity, often with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare. Subject matter perspective that places emphasis on micro-scale Microsociology is one of the main branches of sociology, concerning the nature of everyday human social interactions and agency on a small scale. Microsociology is based on interpretative analysis rather than statistical or empirical observation, and shares close association with the philosophy of phenomenology. Methods includes symbolic social interaction In social science, a social relation or social interaction refers to a relationship between two , three (i.e. a triad) or more individuals (e.g. a social group). Social relations, derived from individual agency, form the basis of the social structure. To this extent social relations are always the basic object of analysis for social scientists, which is particularly important in subfields such as urban sociology Urban sociology is the sociological study of social life and human interaction in metropolitan areas. It is a normative discipline of sociology seeking to study the structures, processes, changes and problems of an urban area and by doing so providing inputs for planning and policy making and social psychology Social psychology is the study of the relations between people and groups. Scholars in this interdisciplinary area are typically either psychologists or sociologists, though all social psychologists employ both the individual and the group as their units of analysis. Symbolic interactionism is derived from American pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that includes those who claim that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. Pragmatism, in William James' eyes, was that the truth of an idea, especially the work of George Herbert Mead George Herbert Mead was an American philosopher, sociologist and psychologist, primarily affiliated with the University of Chicago, where he was one of several distinguished pragmatists. He is regarded as one of the founders of social psychology and the American sociological tradition in general and Charles Cooley Charles Horton Cooley was an American sociologist and the son of Thomas M. Cooley. He studied and went on to teach economics and sociology at the University of Michigan, and he was a founding member and the eighth president of the American Sociological Association. He is perhaps most well known for his concept of the looking glass self, which is. Herbert Blumer Herbert Blumer was an American sociologist. Continuing the work of George Herbert Mead, he named and developed the topic of symbolic interactionism. Blumer's main research interests included empirical method and observation of popular culture. He believed that sympathetic introspection and participant observation were more important than, a student and interpreter of Mead, coined the term and put forward an influential summary of the perspective: people act toward things based on the meaning those things have for them; and these meanings are derived from social interaction and modified through interpretation. Blumer was also influenced by John Dewey, who insisted that human beings are best understood in relation to their environment.[1]
Sociologists working in this tradition have researched a wide range of topics using a variety of research methods. However, the majority of interactionist research uses qualitative research Qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriated in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the methods, like participant observation Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology. Its aim is to gain a close and intimate familiarity with a given group of individuals and their practices through an intensive, to study aspects of (1) social interaction In social science, a social relation or social interaction refers to a relationship between two , three (i.e. a triad) or more individuals (e.g. a social group). Social relations, derived from individual agency, form the basis of the social structure. To this extent social relations are always the basic object of analysis for social scientists and/or (2) individuals' selves. Participant observation allows researchers to access symbols and meanings, as in Howard S. Becker's Art Worlds (1982) and Arlie Hochschild's The Managed Heart (1983).[2] Sociological areas that have been particularly influenced by symbolic interactionism include the sociology of emotions The sociology of emotion applies sociological theorems and techniques to the study of human emotions. As sociology emerged primarily as a reaction to the negative affects of modernity, many normative theories deal in some sense with 'emotion' without forming a part of any specific subdiscipline: Marx described capitalism as detrimental to personal, deviance/criminology Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in the behavioral sciences, drawing especially upon the research of sociologists (particularly in the sociology of deviance), social anthropologists and psychologists,, collective behavior The term "collective behavior" was first used by Robert E. Park, and employed definitively by Herbert Blumer, to refer to social processes and events which do not reflect existing social structure , but which emerge in a "spontaneous" way/social movements Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals and/or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change, and the sociology of sex. Interactionist concepts that have gained widespread usage include definition of the situation The definition of the situation is a fundamental concept in symbolic interactionism advanced by the American sociologist W. I. Thomas. It is a kind of collective agreement between people on the characteristics of a situation, and from there, how to appropriately react and fit into it, emotion work Emotion work has been defined as the management of one's own feelings or as "work done in a conscious effort to maintain the well being of a relationship".The terms "emotional labor" and "emotion work" are often used interchangeably, which can lead to confusion. Emotional labor refers to the emotional work done in a, impression management In sociology and social psychology, impression management is the process through which people try to control the impressions other people form of them. It is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction, looking glass self, and total institution A total institution, also referred to as a voracious institution, as defined by Erving Goffman, is an institution where all parts of life of individuals under the institution are subordinated to and dependent upon the authorities of the organization. Total institutions are social microcosms dictated by hegemony and clear hierarchy. Semiology is connected to this discipline, but unlike those elements of semiology which are about the structures of language, interactionists typically are more interested in the ways in which meaning is fluid and ambiguous.[3]
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Basic premises and approach
Herbert Blumer (1969), who coined the term "symbolic interactionism," set out three basic premises of the perspective:
- "Humans act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things."
- "The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with others and the society."
- "These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he/she encounters."
Blumer, following Mead, claimed that people interact with each other by interpret[ing] or 'defin[ing]' each other's actions instead of merely reacting to each other's actions. Their 'response' is not made directly to the actions of one another but instead is based on the meaning which they attach to such actions. Thus, human interaction is mediated by the use of symbols A symbol is something such as an object, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On maps, crossed sabres may indicate a battlefield. Numerals are symbols for numbers . All language consists of symbols and signification A sign is an entity which signifies another entity. A natural sign is an entity which bears a causal relation to the signified entity, as thunder is a sign of storm. A conventional sign signifies by agreement, as a full stop signifies the end of a sentence., by interpretation, or by ascertaining the meaning of one another's actions (Blumer 1962). Blumer contrasted this process, which he called "symbolic interaction," with behaviorist Behaviorism , also called the learning perspective (where any physical action is a behavior), is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviors. The behaviorist school of thought maintains that behaviors as such can be explanations of human behavior, which don't allow for interpretation between stimulus and response.
Symbolic interactionist researchers investigate how people create meaning during social interaction, how they present and construct the self (or "identity"), and how they define situations of co-presence with others. One of the perspective's central ideas is that people act as they do because of how they define situations.
Erving Goffman St. John's Technical High School, University of Manitoba B.Sc., University of Toronto B.A.,, although he claimed not to have been a symbolic interactionist, is recognized as one of the major contributors to the perspective. Interactionists see the social world as a continuously dynamic and dialectical web.[4]
Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction
The Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction (SSSI) is the scholarly association for symbolic interactionists. SSSI holds a conference in conjunction with the meeting of the American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society (ASS), is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society. in August and sponsors the Couch-Stone Symposium each spring.[1] It also sponsors the journal Symbolic Interaction.[2]
Critique
Although symbolic interactionist concepts have gained widespread use among sociologists, the perspective has been criticized, particularly during the 1970s in the U.S. ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language when quantitative In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena. The process of measurement is central to approaches to sociology were dominant. Perhaps the best known of these is by Alvin Gouldner.[3]
In addition to methodological criticisms, critics of symbolic interactionism have charged that it is unable to deal with social structure Social structure is a term used in the social sciences to refer to patterned social arrangements which form the society as a whole, and which determine, to some varying degree, the actions of the individuals socialised into that structure. Whereas 'structure' refers to "the macro", "agency" refers to "the micro" (a fundamental sociological concern) and macrosociological issues. A number of symbolic interactionists have addressed these topics, one of the best known being Negotiated Order Theory.[4]. But their work has not gained as much recognition or influence as the work of those focusing on the interactional level.
See also
- Social interaction In social science, a social relation or social interaction refers to a relationship between two , three (i.e. a triad) or more individuals (e.g. a social group). Social relations, derived from individual agency, form the basis of the social structure. To this extent social relations are always the basic object of analysis for social scientists
- Social action In sociology, social action refers to an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals . According to Max Weber, "an Action is 'social' if the acting individual takes account of the behavior of others and is thereby oriented in its course" (Secher 1962)
- Labeling theory Originating in sociology and criminology, labeling theory was developed by sociologist Howard S. Becker. Labeling theory holds that deviance is not inherent to an act, but instead focuses on the linguistic tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities or those seen as deviant from norms. The theory is concerned with how the self-identity
- Edward T. Hall Edward Twitchell Hall, Jr. was an anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher
- Extension transference
- Sandbox play therapy
- Generalized other
References
- ^ http://www.colorado.edu/communication/meta-discourses/Papers/App_Papers/Nelson.htm
- ^ http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-symbolicinteractionism.html
- ^ http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-symbolicinteractionism.html
- ^ http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-symbolicinteractionism.html
- Blumer, Herbert (1962). "Society as Symbolic Interaction". in Arnold M. Rose. Human Behavior and Social Process: An Interactionist Approach. Houghton-Mifflin. Reprinted in Blumer (1969).
- Blumer, Herbert (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Blumer, Herbert. (1971). Social Problems as Collective Behavior=2006(translated in Japanese), Jornal of Economics and Sociology 66(http://hdl.handle.net/10232/6922).
- Plummer, Kenneth. (1975). Sexual stigma: An interactionist account. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Liamputtong, Pranee & Ezzy, Douglas. (2005). Qualitative Research Methods. New York: Oxford University Press.
External links
- Assumptions of the Pluralist Paradigm
- Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction website
- Symbolic Interaction journal
Categories: Criminology Categories: Branches of sociology | Crime | Law enforcement | Sociological theories This category contains various sociological and sometimes interdisciplinary theories. It includes the main articles of the different Sociological paradigms which can be found in Category:Sociological paradigms. For the different variants of theories of these paradigms, please see its individual sub-category. For philosophical theories about | Anthropology Categories: Social sciences | Museology | Interdisciplinary fields
Q. doesnt have to be marketing only, detailed explanations would be awesome
Asked by xtabx7 - Mon Nov 13 18:28:50 2006 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Monopoly.
Answered by Samurai Hoghead - Fri Nov 17 16:29:17 2006
