George Herbert Mead developed symbolic interactionism, which was later expanded on by his student Herbert Blumer. The theory focuses on how humans construct meaning through social interaction and symbolic communication. Blumer identified three main principles: meaning arises through interaction and symbols; language and symbols allow for the negotiation of meaning; and thought develops from the interpretation of symbols through language. Together, these principles demonstrate how social interaction and symbolic communication shape human behavior and the development of society.

2. SYMBOLIC
INTERACTION
Presented by
Muhammad Shahzad Ashfaq
Ph.D Education Scholar

3. Symbolic Interaction Theory
Definition
 Symbolic Interaction Theory (SIT) is a frame of
reference for how humans create understanding
through symbolic worlds and how those worlds
affect human behavior (West & Turner, 2010)
 The symbolic interaction perspective, also
called symbolic interaction is a major
framework of sociological theory. This
perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that
people develop and rely upon in the process of
social interaction.

4.  Symbolic interaction theory analyzes society
by addressing the subjective meanings that
people impose on objects, events, and
behaviors. Subjective meanings are given
primacy because it is believe that people
behave based on what they believe and not
just on what is objectively true.
 Symbolic interaction looks at individual and
group meaning making, focusing on human
action instead of large-scale social structures.

5. Symbolic Principles
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.

6. INTRODUCTION
 George Herbert Mead 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 Mead’s death in 1931 his students at the
University published his Mind, Self, and Society
teachings.
 Herbert Blumer, Mead’s pupil, further developed his
theory and coined it “Symbolic Interaction”

7.  This theory is 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 our interactions are to create a shared
meaning.

8. HERBERT BLUMER (1900-1987)
- Taught sociology at the University of Chicago
from 1927 to 1952.
- Blumer was one of sociology’s most prominent
and esteemed practitioners.
- Leading spokesperson for the Chicago style of
symbolic interaction 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.

9. BLUMER (CONT.)
Symbolic Interaction
- is a term that was coined by Blumer in 1937.
- “humans act toward things on the basis of
meanings” Blumer insisted its importance, while
peers downplayed it.
- Blumer views symbolic interaction as “a uniquely
human process” one which we must completely
understand through language and gestures.
- Must share a language to communicate effectively.
- The importance of the fact that people act
depending on meanings of objects for them, which
creates profound methodological implications

10. Mind, Self, and Society
- Views the mind as a process, a conversation within
itself.
- People have the capacity to control their responses
to the environment.
- Self involves the process where actors reflect on
themselves as objects.
- Develops from social forces and social experience.
- Society cannot exist without minds and self.
- Humans have ability to manipulate environment so
multiple societies exist.
Examples 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.

11. Development of Self
1. Imitation stage- understanding gestures.
2. Play stage- learned use of language and
meanings of certain symbols.
3. Game stage- understanding the roles of others
and abiding by the rules.
The Act
1. Impulse- gut reactions or the need to do
something.
2. Perception- use of senses and mental images to
satisfy the impulse.
3. Manipulation- taking some conscious effort in
regard of impulse.
4. Consummation- act of satisfying the impulse.

12. The Social Act and Gestures
- The stimulus creates an impulse that triggers
possible reactions by people in the
environment.
- Mead emphasizes the importance of the
vocal gesture (verbal communication).
- Shared language increases efficiency.
- Can hear ourselves talking, therefore
carries same meaning between listener
and speaker.

13. o Herbert Blumer came up with three basic
principles for his theory.
o Meaning, Language, and Thought.
o These three principles lead to conclusions
about the creation of a persons self and
socialization into a larger community

14. FIRST PRINCIPLE
• Meaning: “Making is a community project”
• Meaning is something that has to be assigned and
who assigns it?
• The definition of this word states that it is a
intention for a particular purpose or destination.
• Blumer says that the principle of meaning is central
in human behavior

15. MEANING
 Meaning is based on human interaction and how
we act towards other people.
 We as humans, base things upon the meanings
that they have been given.
 An example would be me saying, “Hey you
look great, have you lost a lot of weight?” This
statement could be taken a lot of different ways.
Perhaps the person that I said this to takes it in
the way of a compliment, (Which is what I was
giving them) or a negative remark. The meaning
that we assign to the statement is how we react
to people and what they say.

16. This theory tells us that its how people interpret
messages and statements.
o Each one of us has a different meaning assigned
to different things.
o To us humans the word “grass” is something that
can be defined as green, or something needed to be
cut. To animals, the word “grass” could mean shelter
or food.
o Now in the case of symbols, meanings also depend
on the number of consensual responses of those who
use it. If someone uses a particular word such as
hey, to those that use it a lot, it means hello. Now
for those people that are ambiguous to it, it could
mean a totally different thing to them.

17. SECOND PRINCIPLE
 Language: “Symbolic naming for the human
society”
 Language gives humans a means by which to
negotiate meaning through symbols.
 Mead believed that when you named something, it
is assigned a meaning. An example of this would
be me naming my dog Lucifer. The meaning of
this name would be the devil, because maybe the
dog is extremely mean or bites people all of the
time.

18. LANGUAGE
In simple terms, this principle says that when
we talk to each other, symbolic interaction
means that humans identify meaning, or
naming, and then they develop discourse, which
is communication orally

19. THIRD PRINCIPLE
• Thought: “Interpretation of symbols”
• Thought is based on language. While in a
conversation, your mind is imagining or
thinking about the different points of view or
meanings to what the other person is saying to
you.
• What this means is that once your hear
someone say something, you automatically
start thinking about what you are going to say
next

20. LANGUAGE
o Mead believes that “We naturally talk to
ourselves in order to sort out the meaning of a
difficult situation.”
o Whatever you think of before acting to an
action or responding to a phrase is your
thought. We do this all the time without
knowing or realizing it. It is your own personal
meaning that you put on words.

21. CONCLUSION
 George Herbert Mead was a professor whose
teachings were transformed into a theory that is
well known and taught throughout the world.
 Symbolic Interaction has only one variable in it.
The individual has its own set of meanings for
things and people.
 A problem with this theory is that it does not state
whether or not an individual wants to win and get
their own way or not. Sometimes we think that
people can also construct a sample and ask someone
if they should have a certain meaning for this and a
meaning for that.

22. o This theory doesn’t tell you if you think this
way because a person told you to or if you
think a certain way because you feel that you
need to.
o George Herbert Mead died in 1931. Although
he never got around to publishing his own
teachings, he still is considered to be one of the
top sociological theorists that have ever walked
this earth

23. THOUGHT
 According to Blumer:
 We as humans have the ability to take the role of
the other.
 This allows us chances to find new meaning and
different perspectives in life.

24. TO CONCLUDE
 Symbolic Interaction and its premises are built
upon communication between individuals.
 Language and Thought are vital in the
interpretation of symbols.
 We have and always will be affected by Language
and Thought.

25. Reference
Griffen, E symbols. (2007). A first look at
communication theory (6th ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill.