Symbolic interactionism focuses on human behavior and views it as the result of conscious interpretation of symbols and meanings within social interactions, rather than being determined by social structures. Key concepts include the self developing through socialization and interactions, the looking glass self where individuals see themselves through the reflections of others, and labeling theory where deviance is created through the application of rules and labels to certain groups.

1. Symbolic Interactionism
An Introduction

2. Symbolic Interactionism
 A theory of human behaviour not social
structure
 S.I. is critical of positivist/structural
theories which see human behaviour as
‘determined’ by structure
 Human behaviour is the result of
consciousness – it is meaningful. An
interpretivist view

3. The Structural View
Functionalist and
Society Marxist analysis
operates at this
level
Individuals

4. The Symbolic Interactionist
View
Society Symbolic
Interactionist
analysis operates
at this level
Group
s
Individuals

5. Symbolic Interactionsim –
George Herbert Mead
 George Herbert
Mead (1863 – 1931)
 Regarded as the
founder of
Symbolic
Interactionism

6. Mead draws a distinction between animal
and human behaviour
Animal Behaviour Human Behaviour
Unconscious Result of
response to meaningful
stimuli interpretation

7. Mead continued…
 Examines meaning in context of small-scale interaction
within small social groups.
 Meaning is basis of small group interaction, which shapes
society. Meaning is important because “when men define
situations as real, they become real in their consequences”
(W.I. Thomas)
 Successful interaction takes place when group members
share meaning of nature of situation.
 Shared meaning is achieved through interpretation of
symbols
 This demands an awareness of point of view of others,
which is dependent on development of the ‘self.’

8. The Self
The Self
The ‘I’ – How we The ‘me’ – How
see ourselves others see us
Socialisation
Play Stage Game Stage
The Self

9. Blumer
 Blumer was a
student of Mead
 He developed
Mead’s ideas

10. Blumer continued…
 Criticises the positivist stress on
establishing correlations and laws of
human behaviour in that they do not
capture meaning and essence of human
behaviour.
 Advocates qualitative methods so that
the sociologist is “feeling ones way inside
the experience of the actor”.
 Criticises structural theories. Structure
and roles influence human behaviour but
do not determine it.

11. The Looking Glass Self
 We use the way other
people interpret our
behaviour as evidence of
who and what we are
 Charles Cooley referred
to this idea as the
“looking-glass self”
 We use the behaviour of
others towards us as a kind
of mirror in which is
reflected an image of the
person we are

12. The Looking Glass Self
 We are not simply “prisoners” of other
people’s behaviour
 We have to interpret what the behaviour
of other people towards us tells us about
ourselves
 We frequently interpret the behaviour of
others in ways that confirm the image we
have of our selves.

13. The Looking Glass Self
 Some people are more significant to
us than others and their views carry
more weight with us. These people
are called significant others
 We try to manipulate the impression
that other people have of us
Impression management

14. The Presentation of Self in
Everyday Life
 Erving Goffman - the social world is
represented as a play in which the various
members of society adopt certain roles and
speak certain lines
 Dramaturgical Analogy
 Our social encounters have scenery that
defines the situation for the actors and
props used to enhance our performance

15. Stigma
 Goffman argues that some experience
stigmatised or spoiled identities
 Mentally ill, disabled, criminal,
addicted etc.
 None of these behaviours themselves
cause stigmatised identities
 Stigma occurs as a result of how
others view these behaviours

16. Labelling Theory
 “Social groups create deviance by
making rules, whose infraction
constitutes deviance, and by applying
those rules to particular people and
labelling them as outsiders.”

17. Labelling Theory
 The reaction of society marginalises
individuals
 This process that alters their self-
perception and identity
 This process creates deviance

18. Labelling Theory
Labelling Master Internalisation Deviant Career
Status of the label
Someone in The individual
authority The labelled Individuals becomes more
labels an person is come to see different or
individual as treated themselves as deviant
different or differently different and
deviant by others associate with
they others who are
interact with seen as
different and
deviant

19. Test
1. What is the focus of symbolic interactionism? What
is it trying to explain?
2. Make a list of the key concepts associated with S.I.
and include the sociologists associated with the
concepts

20. Evaluation
 It led to the development of important concepts such as: labelling, deviant
career, subculture and self fulfilling prophecy. These have been employed to
great effect in study of education, deviance and health.
 It examines interaction ‘in a vacuum’, makes no reference to the social,
economic, political or historical context of interaction. Marxists in particular
criticise its lack of consideration of the nature and distribution of power.
 It exaggerates extent to which interpretation of meaning is conscious. We do
not ‘start from scratch’ each time we interact, most of our behaviour is based
on habit, we perform it unconsciously.
 It reflects the individualistic culture of USA where it was developed. European
culture has more of an appreciation of the role of structure.
 It established the need to go beyond statistical correlations and take into
account the view of the actor.
 It underestimates structural constraints. Structure has an effect even when
people are unaware of its existence; e.g. class affects you even if you see
yourself as classless.