3. Theories of society: A reminder
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A theory is a set of ideas that claims to explain how something works.
A social theory is a set of ideas that explain how society or aspects of society work.
Image source: jcomp
4. Symbolic Interactionism: A definition
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Image source: Freepik
Symbolic interactionism is a micro-
level theory that focuses
on meanings attached to human
interaction, both verbal and non-
verbal, and to symbols.
Communication—the exchange of
meaning through language and
symbols—is believed to be the way
in which people make sense of their
social worlds.
5. Symbolic Interactionism: An overview
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• Symbolic interactionism is a theory that originated in early 20th century but remains relevant
for social scientists today. It has its intellectual roots in pragmatism1 and psychological
behaviourism2.
• Symbolic interactionist ideas are prominent in works of George Herbert Mead (1863-1931),
William Isaac Thomas (1863 – 1947), John Dewey (1859 – 1952), Charles Horton Cooley
(1864 -1929), Herbert Blumer3 (1900 – 1987) and Erving Goffman (1922 -1982).
• The theory got its name due to centrality of its idea that what makes us social is our
communication through symbols (including language).
1 School of philosophy based on the principle that the usefulness, workability, and practicality of ideas, policies, and proposals are the criteria of their merit.
2 A highly influential academic school of psychology, concerned with measurable and observable data. In behaviourism, the organism is seen as “responding” to conditions (stimuli) set by the
outer environment and by inner biological processes.
3 Coined the term symbolic interactionism.
6. Symbolic Interactionism: An overview
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"The human being must be understood as a social person. It is the
constant search for social interaction that leads us to do what we do.
Instead of focusing on the individual and his or her personality, or on how
the society or social situation causes human behavior, symbolic
interactionism focuses on the activities that take place between actors.
Interaction is the basic unit of study. Individuals are created through
interaction; society too is created through social interaction. What we do
depends on interaction with others earlier in our lifetimes, and it depends
on our interaction right now. Social interaction is central to what we do. If
we want to understand cause, focus on social interaction’.
Joel M Charon
7. What do these symbols mean to you?
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And, how do you know?
8. What symbols are there in this interaction?
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Is there an agreement on the meaning of the interaction?
9. What do you think this means?
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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.
Charles Cooley
10. Symbolic Interactionism: Key Concepts
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Key
Concepts
A symbol
Interaction
The self
An act
A symbol is something that represents something else. This is the most
important conceptual building block on which symbolic interactionists have
based their analysis of human conduct.
The ability to view oneself, as it arises through the social process. The
general mechanism of the self is the ability of people to put themselves in
the place of others, to act as others act and to see themselves as others see
them.
A single instance of human conduct. There can be individual and
social acts. A social act involves two or more persons, and the basic
mechanism of the social act is the gesture.
Interaction is the reciprocal process of people engaging and communicating
with one another (series of social acts). For an interaction to be successful,
participants negotiate and agree on its meaning. Through interactions,
individuals produce, approve, arrange, and redefine symbols.
12. Symbolic Interactionism: Four basic components
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1) Individual actions take place in response to the meanings
that gestures or objects have for them.
For example, if the sign of red means danger in any particular
setting, then individuals will act accordingly.
2) All interactions take place within already defined and
categorised social contexts. In other words, all social situations
are already provided with meaning in terms of a shared
classification that is well understood by all who share that
common social setting.
Like if something is sacred in a society, then all members would
be already aware of it and will act accordingly.
3) These meanings emerge from the continued interactions that
persons in a society have with each other and with society at
large.
For example, a child may learn that the temple is sacred from his
parents, but this particular meaning will be confirmed for
him/her by other members of the society so that later it will
become a part of the generalised system of meanings that he or
she holds.
4) Meanings are not static, and new meanings may be imparted
and old ones discarded as a part of social interaction with
others.
Like if a new object emerges that is considered sacred by some,
then over time the meaning can be accepted or even rejected by
more members, and a change can occur or be nipped in the bud,
depending upon the circumstances.
13. Symbolic interactionism: principles
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1
• Human beings, unlike lower animals, are endowed with a capacity for thought.
2
• The capacity for thought is shaped by social interaction.
3
• In social interaction, people learn the meanings and symbols that allow them to exercise their distinctively human capacity for thought.
4
• Meanings and symbols allow people to carry on distinctively human action and interaction.
5
• People are able to modify or alter the meanings and symbols they use in action and interaction based on their interpretation of the
situation.
6
• People can make these modifications and alterations because, in part, of their ability to interact with themselves, which allows them to
examine possible courses of action, assess their relative advantages and disadvantages, and then choose one.
•7
• The intertwined patterns of action and interaction make up groups and societies.
14. Why do we study symbolic interactionism?
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• Symbolic interactionism is a major theory in sociology and social psychology.
• It offers a useful framework for explaining human interaction and communication.
As such, it offers a micro level view of the society, which is often neglected by
macro-level theorists, such as functionalists and conflict theorists.
• It offers important insight to how are social roles are assigned and shaped by
expectations and perceptions of others.
• As the world is becoming more interconnected than ever, symbolic interactionism
can be seen as especially relevant. It can help explain, for example, how social
media is able shape public opinion on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
15. Symbolic Interactionism: Key Criticisms
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• Vagueness
Symbolic interactionism is often criticised for being vague and imprecise. Every social element can only be viewed in
reference to other elements and therefore it is hard to predict future behaviour or make normative and ethical
judgments about society. It is also difficult to provide a firm basis for theory and research.
• Downplaying social structures
Symbolic interactionism has been criticised for its tendency to downplay or ignore large-scale social structures. By
focusing on the micro level of social activity, it loses sight of macro-level institutions and issues (e.g. the role politics,
history and class play in social structures).
• Too subjective for testing
While it provides a general view of how humans interact with and ascribe meaning to symbols around them, it is
often too difficult to test because it is based on subjective interpretations of the world. It may be hard to draw any
conclusions, since symbols can be interpreted incorrectly or differently among different groups of people.
17. Summary
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• Symbolic interactionism is a key social theories, originated in early 20th century, by
George Herbert Mead, Erving Goffman, Herbert Blumer, and other scholars.
• Symbolic interactionism is a theory that focuses on meanings attached to human
interaction, through verbal and non-verbal symbols.
• It offers a useful framework for explaining human interaction and communication. As
such, it offers a micro level view of the society, which is often neglected by macro-level
theorists, such as functionalists and conflict theorists.
• The theory is criticised for paying little attention to macro social structures and history, as
well as for being subjective and vague.
Editor's Notes
Explore these symbols with students! What do they represent to you?
