This topic help you to understand the social interaction and society. A Sociological View

1. Symbolic Interactionism
By- Ms. Sarita Khalko
From the end of the 19th century development of social theorists shifted from the
study of large scale social structures to complexities of the individual's relationship
to the large-scale structures of society.
This interactional nature of man in society began to be thought of and looked at
from the point of view of social institution where the individual person exist within
society’s institutions.
Symbolic interactionism is essentially a social psychological perspective relevant
to sociological enterprise.
It focuses on the nature of interaction, the dynamic pattern of social action and
social relationship. Here interaction itself is taken as the unit of analysis attitudes
are related to the background.
Both the human being and the social structure are used to construct are
conceptualized as more complex, unpredictable and active than in the conventional
sociological perspective.
Where societies are composed by interacting individual who react, perceive,
interpret, act and create an individual is a dynamic and changing actor always in
the process of becoming never fully formed.
Individual has a mind a self which is not a psychological entity but an aspect of
social process that arises in the course of social experience and activity.
All the entire process of interaction is symbolic, with meanings constructed by
human ingenuity.

2. Before understand symbol interactionism it is necessary to know about Charles
Horton Cooley—-
In his theory Cooley focused on complex relationship between individual and
Society. Man does not stand alone as an individual and Society does not exist
without individuals.
Cooley tried to know for deeper understanding of the individual not an entity apart
from society but a particular psycho- social and historical instancing of society's
constituent ingredients.
Each individual is a fresh organization of life. Constitute a two-fold emergent
reality of genetic heredity and social past.
These streams of human emergence/ social transmission include- language,
interaction and education for each person in his own time and culture.
Fundamental task of sociology- understand the organic nature of society as it
evolves through the individual’s perceptions of others and of themselves.
In the same way sociology to understand society must concentrate its attention
upon the mental activities of individuals who make up society.
The looking- glass shelf
According to Cooley major social institutions- language family industry education
religion and Laws
These institutions constitute -facts of society available for Socio logical study
(define and established products of the public mind).
Outcomes of organization and crystallization of thoughts present around in forms
of customs believes and sentiments.
Society is for individual needs; Institutions are mental creation of individuals and
are sustained by human habits of Mind almost always held unconsciously due to
Family reality

3. Society Institutions are understood only as mental Creations, individuals and are
sustained by human habits of mind almost always held unconsciously due to
familiarity.
Society’s institutions are understood primarily as mental creations the individuals
so affect of the social structure but are a creator and sustainer of society.
People are solid facts of society.
In social self-I – In daily thought and speech it is reflected so relates to the thought
Of others.
It is an empirical self verified by observation.
It is a product of social interaction emerging from one’s
Perception of others.
Mind– it is an organic whole made up of cooperation of individuals.
Example- music of an orchestra is made up of divergent but
related to sound.
Self and Society has reciprocal relationship both are twin born. Social
consciousness and self consciousness are inseparable.
Self image can only emerge with a reference group. Consciousness of society and
self are located in the Mind (human imagination).
Looking glass self→ In phenomenon through interaction with others as (you, he/
She, they) self emerge. The self is a creation of dialectics between the individual
and his social environment. An individual awareness of himself which is reflection
of his perception of other’s ideas of who he is. The process of one mind
responding to others minds.
in this principal(three) dimensions are→
(A) How we imagine our experience to other others.
(B) How we imagine others judgment of that appearance.
(C) Our personal feeling about that judgment.

4. The primary group-
It is constitutes that fundamental meaning of all social organizations. It is the
seedbed of society and is indispensable in the forming of social nature (man’s
ideals, the experience of love and need for freedom and Justice).
Primary group- intimacy face-to-face interaction, emotional warmth and
cooperation
Self consciousness and social consciousness develop as I- me, us-we. This sense of
we feeling fosters a strong identification of the self with group life.
Primary groups—--- family play group and neighborhood.
Secondary group- These are impersonal, contractual formal and rational.
Example- professional associations, cooperation, Bureaucracies, government.
These primary groups ‘human nature’ comes into existence.