A sociological theory analyzes social reality through complex frameworks, emphasizing human agency, interactive determination, symbolization, and emergence. Symbolic interactionism, pioneered by George Herbert Mead, focuses on how individuals derive self-awareness and meaning through social interaction and symbols in everyday life. Critics argue that it may overlook larger societal issues by concentrating on micro-level interactions.

1. Sociological theory
A sociological theory is a
supposition that intends to
consider, analyze, and/or
explain objects of social reality
from a sociological
perspective, drawing
connections between individual
concepts in order to organize
and substantiate sociological
knowledge. Hence, such
knowledge is composed of
complex theoretical
frameworks and methodology.

2. 1.Human agency: emphasizes the active, willful, goal-seeking character of
human actors.
2.Interactive determination: specifies that understanding of focal objects
of analysis, whether they are self-concepts, identities, roles, practices, or
even social movements.
3.Symbolization: highlights the processes through which events and
conditions, artifacts, people, and other environmental features that take on
particular meanings.
4.Emergence: focuses on attention on the processual and non-habituated
side of social life, focusing not only on organization and texture of social life,
but also associated meaning and feelings.
Principles

3. Three major theoretical paradigms in sociology

4. SYMBOLIC İNTERACTIONISM
History. The first person to write about
the principles underlying Symbolic
Interactionism was George Herbert Mead
(1934). Mead concentrated on the
language and other forms of talk that
happens between individuals. The “ self ”
— a part of someone’s personality
involving self-awareness and self-image
— originates in social experience.

5. The symbolic interactionist
perspective, also known as
symbolic interactionism,
directs sociologists to consider
the symbols and details of
everyday life, what these
symbols mean, and how
people interact with each
other.

7. There are five central ideas to symbolic interactionism according
to Joel M. Charon.
1. The human being must be understood as a social person.
2.The human being must be understood as a thinking being.
3.Humans do not sense their environment directly; instead,
humans define the situation they are in. An environment may
actually exist, but it is our definition of it that is important.
4.The cause of human action is the result of what is occurring in
our present situation.
5.Human beings are described as active beings in relation to their
environment.
Five central ideas

8. Critics claim that symbolic
interactionism neglects the macro
level of social interpretation—the
“big picture.” In other words,
symbolic interactionists may miss
the larger issues of society by
focusing too closely on the “trees”
rather than the “forest”

9. Consider applying symbolic
interactionism to the American
institution of marriage. Symbols may
include wedding bands, vows of
life‐long commitment, a white bridal
dress, a wedding cake, a Church
ceremony, and flowers and music.