Symbolic interactionism is a sociological theory that focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society. Communication, the exchange of meaning through language and symbols, is believed to be how people make sense of their social worlds. There are two main generations of symbolic interactionism. The first sees actions as always having meaning, while the second sees social life as a performance of roles. Proponents of symbolic interactionism, such as George Herbert Mead, Charles Cooley, and Erving Goffman, studied how meanings and identities emerge through social interaction and the interpretive processes used by individuals.

1. SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM
LM
By Gina A. Ompad
A presentation on
Communication in
Various Context

2. OBJECTIVES
• Review on the meanings of symbols
and interactionism.
• Describe gender from the view of the
interactionalist perspective.
• Define symbolic interactionism.
• Identify the different proponents and
their individual perspective of symbolic
interactionism.
• Enumerate some examples of symbolic
interactionism in different context
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3. SYMBOL
WHAT IS IT AND HOW IT AFFECTS
COMMUNICATION?

4. WHAT IS SYMBOL?
• Symbols are representations of an event,
action, object, person, or place that can be
used to communicate about the event,
action, object, person, or place. Symbols can
be used for both receptive and expressive
communication. Objects, parts of objects,
pictures, print, actions, gestures, signs, and
speech can all be symbols. Symbols may start
as cues and signals. If a child recognizes a cue
out of context, that cue may be acting as a
symbol. If a child uses a signal or an object
cue to communicate about an event, action,
object, person or place out of context, the
child may be using that signal or cue as a
symbol.
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Symbol Icon for
male and female

5. WHAT ARETHE COMMON
SYMBOLS IN COMMUNICATION?
• A symbol is anything one says or does to
describe something, and that something can
have an array of many meanings. Once the
symbols are learned by a particular group,
that symbol stays intact with the object.
Symbolic communication includes gestures,
body language and facial expressions, as well
as vocal moans that can indicate what an
individual wants without having to speak.
Research argues that about 55% of all
communication stems from nonverbal
language. Symbolic communication ranges
from sign language to braille to tactile
communication skills.
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6. • Symbolic communication in humans can be
defined as the rule-governed use of a system of
arbitrary symbols whose definition and usage are
agreed upon by the community of users.
• Symbols are considered the signifier that
represents meaning (the signified). Not only
auditory speech, words, and characters in printed
visual forms, physical objects, fashion and
clothing, human individuals, and events can be
classified as symbols. Any entity, natural or social,
physical or mental, tangible or intangible, can be a
symbol as long as they can be employed to
represent something else.
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HOW DOES IT AFFECT
HUMAN COMMUNICATION?

7. INTERACTIONISM: HOW DOES IT CONTRIBUTETO
MEANINGFUL COMMUNICATION?
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8. • Scholars of interactionism study how
individuals act within society and
believe that meaning is produced
through interactions.
• According to interactionists, gender
stratification exists because people
act toward each other on the basis of
the meanings they have for each
other, and that these meanings are
derived from social interaction.
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THE INTERACTIONIST
PERSPECTIVE

9. • According to Cooley’s concept of the
“looking-glass self,” an individual’s
understanding of their gender role is
based on how society perceives
them. Thus, if society views a man as
masculine, he will also perceive
himself to be masculine.
• “Doing gender” is the notion that
masculinity and feminity are
performed gender identities. Gender
is something we do or perform, not
something we are.
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THE INTERACTIONIST
PERSPECTIVE

10. • In sociology, interactionism is a theoretical
perspective that understands social processes
(such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation)
as emerging from human interaction. Scholars of
this perspective study how individuals act within
society and believe that meaning is produced
through the interactions of individuals. According
to interactionists, gender stratification exists
because people act toward each other on the
basis of the meanings they have for one another.
Interactionists believe that these meanings are
derived through social interaction and that these
meanings are managed and transformed through
an interpretive process that people use to make
sense of, and handle, the objects that constitute
their social worlds.
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WHAT IS
INTERACTIONISM?

11. HOW DOES IT
CONTRIBUTETO HUMAN
COMMUNICATION?
Goffman and Control
• Social interaction is a face-to-face process that consists
of actions, reactions, and mutual adaptation between
two or more individuals. The goal of social interaction is
to communicate with others. Social interaction includes
all language, including body language and mannerisms.
Erving Goffman, one of the forefathers of this
theoretical perspective, emphasized the importance of
control in social interactions.
• According to Goffman, during an interaction, individuals
will attempt to control the behavior of the other
participants, in order to attain needed information, and
in order to control the perception of one’s own image. If
the interaction is in danger of ending before an
individual wants it to, it can be conserved through
several steps. One conversational partner can conform
to the expectations of the other, he or she can ignore
certain incidents, or he or she can solve apparent
problems.
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12. SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM
WHAT IS IT?

13. • Symbolic interactionism aims to understand human
behavior by analyzing the critical role of symbols in
human interaction. This is certainly relevant to the
discussion of masculinity and femininity, because the
characteristics and practices of both are socially
constructed, reproduced, and reinforced through daily
interactions. Imagine, for example, that you walk into a
bank, hoping to get a small loan for school, a home, or a
small business venture.
• If you meet with a male loan officer, you might state
your case logically, listing all of the hard numbers that
make you a qualified applicant for the loan. This type of
approach would appeal to the analytical characteristics
typically associated with masculinity. If you meet with a
female loan officer, on the other hand, you might make
an emotional appeal, by stating your positive social
intentions. This type of approach would appeal to the
sensitive and relational characteristics typically
associated with femininity.
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SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM

14. • Symbolic interactionism is a
sociological perspective on self and
society based on the ideas of George
H. Mead (1934), Charles H. Cooley
(1902), W. I. Thomas (1931), and
other pragmatists associated,
primarily, with the University of
Chicago in the early twentieth
century. The central theme of
symbolic interactionism is that
human life is lived in the symbolic
domain.
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SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM

15. SYMBOLS
• Symbols are culturally derived social objects
having shared meanings that are created and
maintained in social interaction. Through
language and communication, symbols
provide the means by which reality is
constructed. Reality is primarily a social
product, and all that is humanly
consequential—self, mind, society, culture—
emerges from and is dependent on symbolic
interactions for its existence. Even the
physical environment is relevant to human
conduct mainly as it is interpreted through
symbolic systems.
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16. IMPORTANCE OF MEANING (1)
The label symbolic interactionism was
coined by Herbert Blumer (1969), one of
Mead's students. Blumer, who did much to
shape this perspective, specified its three
basic premises: (1) Humans act toward
things on the basis of the meanings that
things have for them; (2) the meanings of
things derive from social interaction; and (3)
these meanings are dependent on, and
modified by, an interpretive process of the
people who interact with one another. The
focus here is on meaning, which is defined
in terms of action and its consequences
(reflecting the influence of pragmatism).
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The meaning of a thing resides in the action that it
elicits. For example, the meaning of "grass" is food to a
cow, shelter to a fox, and the like. In the case of
symbols, meanings also depend on a degree of
consensual responses between two or more people.
The meaning of the word husband, for example,
depends on the consensual responses of those who
use it. If most of those who use it agree, the meaning
of a symbol is clear; if consensus is low, the meaning is
ambiguous, and communication is problematic. Within
a culture, a general consensus prevails on the meanings
associated with various words or symbols. However, in
practice, the meanings of things are highly variable and
depend on processes of interpretation and negotiation
of the interactants.
THREE PREMISES EXAMPLES

17. IMPORTANCE OF MEANING (2)
The interpretive process entails what
Blumer refers to as role-taking, the
cognitive ability to take the perspective
of another. It is a critical process in
communication because it enables actors
to interpret one another's responses,
thereby bringing about greater consensus
on the meanings of the symbols used.
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The determination of meanings also
depends on negotiation—that is, on
mutual adjustments and
accommodations of those who are
interacting. In short, meaning is
emergent, problematic, and dependent
on processes of role-taking and
negotiation. Most concepts of symbolic
interactionism are related to the concept
of meaning.
INTERPRETIVE PROCESS ROLE-TAKING

18. SITUATIONAL DEFINITIONS (1)
The importance of meanings is
reflected in Thomas's (1931) famous
dictum: If situations are defined as
real, they are real in their
consequences. The definition of the
situation emphasizes that people act in
situations on the basis of how they are
defined. Definitions, even when at
variance with "objective" reality, have
real consequences for people's actions
and events.
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DICTUM
The definitional process involves the determination of
relevant identities and attributes of interactants. If, for
example, a teacher defines a student as a slow learner
(based on inaccurate information), her discriminatory
behavior (e.g., less attention and lower expectations)
may have a negative effect on the student's intellectual
development, resulting in a self-fulfilling prophecy. This
process, in combination with interactionist ideas about
self-concept formation, is the basis of the labeling
theory of deviance. Labeling theory proposes that a key
factor in the development of deviants is the negative
label of identity imposed on the person (e.g., "criminal,"
"pervert") who engages in deviant behavior (Becker
1963).
INTERACTANTS

19. Defining a situation is not a static process. An initial
definition, based on past experiences or cultural
expectations, may be revised in the course of
interaction. Much of the negotiation in social
situations entails an attempt to present the self in a
favorable light or to defend a valued identity. Erving
Goffman's (1959) insightful analyses of impression
management and the use of deference and
demeanor, as well as Marvin Scott and Stanford
Lyman's (1968) examination of the use of excuses,
justifications, and accounts, speak to the intricacies
involved in situational definitions. Where power or
status disparities exist, the dominant interactant's
definition of the situation likely prevails.
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INTERACTANTS
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

20. GENDER AND
PERFORMANCE
• The meanings attached to symbols
are socially created and fluid, instead
of natural and static. Because of this,
we act and react to symbols based on
their current assigned meanings.
Both masculinity and feminity are
performed gender identities, in the
sense that gender is something we do
or perform, not something we are. In
response to this phenomena, the
sociologist Charles H. Cooley’s
developed the theory of the “looking-
glass self” (1902).
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21. GENDER AND
PERFORMANCE
• In this theory, Cooley argued that an individual’s
perception of himself or herself is based primarily
how society views him or her. In the context of
gender, if society perceives a man as masculine,
that man will consider himself as masculine. Thus,
when people perform tasks or possess
characteristics based on the gender role assigned
to them, they are said to be doing gender (rather
than “being” gender), a notion first coined by
West and Zimmerman (1987). West &
Zimmerman emphasized that gender is
maintained through accountability. Men and
women are expected to perform their gender to
the point that it is naturalized, and thus, their
status depends on their performance.
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22. 22
Confounding
Expectation
The woman in this picture blurs the
boundaries between the symbols
that are traditionally considered
masculine or feminine. While she
has long hair and is wearing
makeup, typically feminine markers,
her clothes are much more
masculine in nature.
Source: Boundless. “The Interactionist Perspective.” Sociology – Cochise College
Boundless, 26 May. 2016. Retrieved 27 Feb. 2017 from
https://www.boundless.com/users/493555/textbooks/sociology-cochise-
college/gender-stratification-and-inequality-11/sociological-perspectives-on-gender-
stratification-87/the-interactionist-perspective-505-6184/
Source: “All sizes | lacie 15s | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.”
http://www.flickr.com/
Flickr CC BY 2.0.

23. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
IS A MICRO-LEVELTHEORYTHAT FOCUSES ONTHE RELATIONSHIPSAMONG INDIVIDUALS
WITHIN A SOCIETY.
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THEORISTS HERMAN AND REYNOLDS (1994)
NOTETHATTHIS PERSPECTIVE SEES PEOPLE AS
BEING ACTIVE IN SHAPINGTHE SOCIAL WORLD
RATHERTHAN SIMPLY BEING ACTED UPON.
COMMUNICATION—THE EXCHANGE OF
MEANINGTHROUGH LANGUAGE AND
SYMBOLS—IS BELIEVEDTO BETHE WAY IN
WHICH PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OFTHEIR
SOCIAL WORLDS.

25. • There are two great generations of
symbolic interactionism.
• The first one considers that actions
always have a meaning.
• On the other hand, the second one
considers that social life is an act.
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GENERATIONS OF
SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM

26. FIRST GENERATION
This generation believed that
relationships with other people build
personal identities. These relationships
always have a meaning and are symbolic.
Therefore, each person’s identity forms
through specific situations and places
where one creates relationships. The
meaning people give to these
interactions would define their personal
or individual identity.
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This generation declared that actions
were more than just habits or automatic
behaviors. All actions could be
interpreted. Thus, language is the
representation of the speaker’s attitudes,
intentions, positions, and goals. This
means that language is a form of
interaction and we create reality with it.
ACTIONS HAVE MEANING
FOR THIS GENERATION, THE INDIVIDUAL IS A REPRESENTATION
FORMED THROUGH LANGUAGE. IN OTHER WORDS, THE
INDIVIDUAL IS CREATED THROUGH INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS.
HOWEVER, WHAT’S CREATED ISN’T THE PERSON, RATHER THAT
PERSON’S ‘SELF’ OR THEIR IDENTITY.

27. SECOND GENERATION
For the second generation, identity also
resulted from the roles that people
adopt. When we interact with other
people, we usually adopt social roles.
These are behavior patterns that society
defines. One way to understand roles is
to watch reality TV shows. The
participants tend to adopt similar roles in
each show. For example, there’s always
an enemy, a loner who can’t stop crying,
two people who end up in a relationship,
etc.
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This second generation stated that
people are actors. Individuals act and
play a part that social roles determine.
We do what others expect us to do
depending on our role. But we don’t only
play a part when we interact with other
people. Similarly, we also play our part in
places and at times when other people
aren’t looking at us. This means that we
end up internalizing and linking that role
to our identity.
SOCIAL LIFE IS AN ACT

28. SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM IN
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
• The relationship between social
interactionism and psychology is evident
above all in the context of social psychology.
According to this branch, people form social
identities with specific rules and values. At
times when social identities become more
important, it’s more likely that people will act
according to those rules and values.
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Therefore, interacting with people from
different cultures with an open mind will help
us understand each other better. Additionally,
it will redefine our personal identity and
change the way we understand the world.
Although social psychology goes
beyond roles and accepts that
social norms guide behavior, it was
founded on symbolic
interactionism. Something we
can’t deny is that people develop
their identities, both individual
and social, when they interact with
other people.

29. THE
PROPONENTS OF
SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM

30. 30

31. 31

32. 32

33. 33

34. 34

35. 35

36. 36

37. 37

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39. 39

40. • Another pioneer in the symbolic
interactionist approach to family research
was Willard Waller (1937, 1938). Waller used
qualitative methods (e.g., case studies and
novels) to study family dynamics, particularly
processes of interpersonal conflict,
bargaining, and exploitation. His principle of
least interest suggests that the person least
interested in or committed to the marital or
dating relationship has the most power in
that relationship and frequently exploits the
other. The theme of conflict and exploitation
was prominent in his analysis of college
dating patterns in the 1930s.
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WILLARDWALLER

41. • Reuben Hill, who shaped much of the
contemporary research on the family,
reworked Waller's treatise by shifting
the focus from a conflict and process
orientation to a relatively structured
developmental perspective
emphasizing family roles and a more
harmonious view of family life
(Waller and Hill 1951).
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REUBEN HILL
Symbolic Interactionism And Family Studies

42. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM: GIVING MEANINGTO
COMMUNICATION
42

43. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
Symbolic interactionism is a theory that
emerged in sociology that has extended to
other fields such as anthropology and social
psychology. This theory analyzes interactions
and their meanings. Thus, it seeks to
understand the processes by which people
become members of societies. In other words,
it studies social activities and self-creation.
Symbolic interactionism takes a stance against
absolute truths. In particular, it argues that
there is no single truth, but different subjective
truths for each situation. In other words, the
‘truth’ is different in each community.
Symbolic interactionism is based on
interpretations. People have different
interpretations of reality. However, these
interpretations will be more similar among the
people around us.
To understand these different ‘truths’, symbolic
interactionism studies the relationships
between people and symbols. The ultimate
goal is to understand individual identity and
social organization.
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44. EXAMPLES OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM IN CONTEXT
One of the cultural differences that
generates the most problems when
people travel are symbols.
For example, if someone extends the
palm of their hand towards another
person, it would understand that
they’re telling us to stop or be still.
However, a Greek would take it as in
insult and a Lebanese would be
neutralizing the evil eye.
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45. EXAMPLE OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM IN CONTEXT
We can find a classic example of symbolic
interactionism in tea. We can consume this drink
accompanied by different rituals, each of them
symbolic in their own way.
For example, tea doesn’t represent the same
thing for a European as it does for a Japanese.
The European may possibly drink tea for
stimulation and will prepare it simply without
giving its preparation too much importance.
However, the Japanese will do a preparation
ritual and drink the tea with others. Tea means
different things for these people.
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IN SUMMARY, SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM SUGGESTS
THAT WE DEFINE OURSELVES TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS THAT BEING AN INDIVIDUAL
IMPLIES IN SPECIFIC CONTEXTS. SINCE WE’RE SOCIAL
BEINGS, THIS MEANING OF ‘BEING AN INDIVIDUAL’ WILL
DEPEND TO A GREAT EXTENT ON OUR INTERACTIONS
WITH OTHER PEOPLE.

46. UNDERSTANDING
MISCOPMMUNICATION
• Symbolic interactionism is very useful for understanding
how miscommunication occurs between people. A word
or phrase in one context can have an entirely different
meaning in another context. Take the executive in the
opening scenario, for example. To him, preparing for a
meeting meant arranging a space for many people to
gather and collaborate effectively. However, past
experience had taught the first employee that meetings
are where supervisors ask about ongoing projects;
therefore, being prepared for a meeting meant having
assignment reports on hand.
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Miscommunication frequently occurs when symbolic messages
are analyzed outside of their original context. A famous
example is when President Richard Nixon made a certain hand
gesture before some Australians to communicate his goodwill.
Unfortunately, the same gesture that meant “peace” in the U.S.
had an extremely vulgar meaning in Australia.

47. • Critics of symbolic interactionism accuse the
theory of being too narrow in its research, too
scattered it its approach and too broad and
general in its conclusions—failing to meet the
criteria of a good theory. They say its focus on
interpersonal and small-group interactions fails to
address the influence of social institutions on
human behavior.
• Furthermore, though interactionists strive to
conduct their research objectively, their choice of
what to study is often subjective, and their close
proximity to their research subjects leads to value
commitments that affect the results of their
research. Interactionists have responded to these
criticisms by stating that symbolic interactionism
should be viewed more as a theoretical
framework than a formal, scientific theory.
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CRITICISM OFTHETHEORY

48. REPORTER
AN ENGLISH MAJOR
Gina Alota Ompad is a
graduate of Secondary
Education major in English. She
also aligns her masters degree
in the same major, and
recently taking up Ed. D in ELT.
CTE FACULTY @ UCLM
She has been teaching in UCLM
for eight years already,
handling general and
professional subjects.
CENTER FOR ENGLISH
ENHANCEMENT
She is the in-charge of CEE or
the Center forEnglish
Enhancement which is one of
thgesupplemetal programs of
the university in
communication skills,
particularly the SRA reading
program.
ADVISER OFTHE GUILD OF
ENGLISH MAJORS
She is the adviser of the sub-
organization which is GEM or
the Guild of English Majors of
the education department.
48

49. THANKYOU !
GINA.OMPAD@YAHOO.COM

50. YOURTASK
WHAT IS YOUR TRADEMARK ACTION THAT YOU
USUALLY USE IN COMMUNICATING PEOPLE?
EXPLAIN IN ONE SENTENCE HOW THIS TRADEMARK
OF YOURS AFFECT YOUR SOCIAL LIFE.
You may send at
gina.ompad@yahoo.com

51. SOURCES:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/alamo-sociology/chapter/reading-symbolic-
interactionist-theory/
https://www.tsbvi.edu/preschool/1725-non-verbal-communication-cues-signals-and-
symbols
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_communication
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/cochise-sociology-os/chapter/the-interactionist-
perspective/
https://www2.hawaii.edu/~fm/goffman.html
https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/sociology-and-social-
reform/sociology-general-terms-and-concepts/symbolic-interactionism
https://exploringyourmind.com/symbolic-interactionism-communication/
http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/symbolic-
interactionism-theory
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