George Herbert Mead's theory of symbolic interactionism is summarized in the document. Some key points:
- Mead was a professor at the University of Chicago and his teachings formed the basis of symbolic interactionism.
- Symbolic interactionism examines how people interact and form meanings through symbols. It focuses on the interpretation of meanings during social interaction.
- Herbert Blumer later expanded on Mead's work and identified three main principles: meaning, language, and thought. These principles are important for understanding how people develop self-concepts and become socialized.
- The document provides examples and explanations of these principles and how they relate to key concepts in symbolic interactionism like the looking-glass self and generalized other.
Auguste Comte (1798-1857) developed the philosophy of positivism and founded the academic discipline of sociology. He believed that societies and knowledge pass through three stages of development: theological, metaphysical, and positive. In the positive stage, explanations are based on scientific laws discovered through observation, experimentation, and logic. Comte aimed to establish sociology as a scientific discipline that would uncover natural laws governing social order and change, which could then be used to reform and improve society.
Neo-functionalism emerged in the 1980s as a revision and expansion of Parsonian functionalism. Jeffrey Alexander and Paul Colomy are the main proponents of neo-functionalism in the US. They define it as a self-critical strand of functional theory that broadens its scope while retaining its theoretical core. Specifically, neo-functionalism aims to incorporate conflict, subjective meaning, contingency, and creativity into functionalism, address its anti-individualism and resistance to change, and analyze systems as tendencies rather than givens. It also pushes functionalism to the left by rejecting optimism about modernity and emphasizing democracy.
Born in Berlin on March 1, 1858 Germany.
Received his PHD from the university of Berlin
German Sociologist, Author, and philosopher. Best known as a micro sociologist
Close acquaintance of Max Weber (1864-1920).
Despite being a popular lecturer and being supported by Weber, he was consider an outsider academically.
Only in 1914 did Simmel obtain a regular academic appointment, and this appointment was in Strasbourg, far from Berlin
Died on September 28, 1918.
Religion creates social order by unifying people around shared sacred symbols and collective representations of morality. Without a shared system of religious beliefs and practices, social order and solidarity would break down.
Auguste Comte (1798-1857) developed the philosophy of positivism and founded the academic discipline of sociology. He believed that societies and knowledge pass through three stages of development: theological, metaphysical, and positive. In the positive stage, explanations are based on scientific laws discovered through observation, experimentation, and logic. Comte aimed to establish sociology as a scientific discipline that would uncover natural laws governing social order and change, which could then be used to reform and improve society.
Neo-functionalism emerged in the 1980s as a revision and expansion of Parsonian functionalism. Jeffrey Alexander and Paul Colomy are the main proponents of neo-functionalism in the US. They define it as a self-critical strand of functional theory that broadens its scope while retaining its theoretical core. Specifically, neo-functionalism aims to incorporate conflict, subjective meaning, contingency, and creativity into functionalism, address its anti-individualism and resistance to change, and analyze systems as tendencies rather than givens. It also pushes functionalism to the left by rejecting optimism about modernity and emphasizing democracy.
Born in Berlin on March 1, 1858 Germany.
Received his PHD from the university of Berlin
German Sociologist, Author, and philosopher. Best known as a micro sociologist
Close acquaintance of Max Weber (1864-1920).
Despite being a popular lecturer and being supported by Weber, he was consider an outsider academically.
Only in 1914 did Simmel obtain a regular academic appointment, and this appointment was in Strasbourg, far from Berlin
Died on September 28, 1918.
Religion creates social order by unifying people around shared sacred symbols and collective representations of morality. Without a shared system of religious beliefs and practices, social order and solidarity would break down.
This document provides an overview of sociological theory, outlining its early origins with thinkers like Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. It then discusses later developments with George Herbert Mead and Talcott Parsons, before examining present-day approaches including the continuation of functionalism, structuralism, symbolic interactionism, and Marxism. Key concepts from different theorists are summarized for each approach.
The document summarizes several major theories of deviance:
- Anomie or strain theory proposes that deviance results from a gap between cultural goals and the legitimate means to achieve them. There are five types of adaptation.
- Conflict theories view deviance as resulting from inequalities in power and resources under capitalism that marginalize the poor and force them into crime.
- Labeling theory argues that behaviors become deviant based on the labels attached by authorities, not inherent qualities, perpetuating deviance.
- Control or social bond theory suggests deviance occurs when social bonds and constraints that normally inhibit antisocial behavior are weakened. Four elements are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.
- Differential
G.S. Ghurye was a pioneering Indian sociologist who made immense contributions to developing the fields of sociology and anthropology in India. He wrote 32 books and numerous papers covering diverse topics. As the first head of the Department of Sociology at Bombay University from 1924-1959, he played a key role in professionalizing sociology. He founded the Indian Sociological Society and its journal, training many talented students who advanced research. Ghurye studied caste, tribe, culture, religion and more, providing new theoretical perspectives. He analyzed Indian society from both textual and empirical perspectives in a methodologically pluralistic way.
This document summarizes agrarian legislation and rural social structure in India. It discusses how agricultural legislation has evolved since independence to improve the socio-economic conditions of farmers through land reforms, ceiling on land holdings, and laws supporting land donations. The rural social structure is organized around family, kinship, caste, and village communities. While joint families were traditionally prevalent, nuclear families are becoming more common. Caste remains an important factor in marriage and social interactions, though its rigidity is reducing over time.
Positivism originated in Europe as a philosophy that believes true knowledge is only about observable facts that can be empirically verified through the senses. It is associated with the scientific method. Auguste Comte was a key proponent of positivism and proposed humanity progresses through theological, metaphysical, and positivist stages of understanding natural phenomena. In the positivist stage, phenomena are explained factually rather than through theological or metaphysical causes. Social sciences differ from natural sciences by studying complex human behaviors and societies as well as cultural contexts. They emphasize social structures, culture, and the decisions and interactions of individuals.
Sociology is defined as the scientific study of human society and social interactions. It was coined in 1839 by Auguste Comte and is derived from the Latin word for society and the Greek word for study. Sociology examines the social patterns and organization of human society. It can be divided into branches that study topics like social structures, social institutions, and social dynamics. There are two main schools of thought on the scope of sociology - the specialistic school views it as narrowly focused on forms of social relationships, while the synthetic school sees it as a broad, interdisciplinary study of all aspects of society and social life.
Emile Durkheim was a French philosopher and sociologist in the late 19th/early 20th century. He believed that society exerted powerful influences on individuals by establishing social norms and values that people internalized. Durkheim identified social integration as the process by which new generations and immigrants adapt to the social structures of a given society, including customs, social networks and languages. He studied how social order is maintained through social attachments like social groups and networks, as well as social regulation via values, norms, mores and laws. Durkheim analyzed concepts like social facts, the division of labor in societies, different types of suicide, and the role of religion in creating social order and cohesion. He is considered the
The document discusses several theories of mate selection:
1) Propinquity Theory - We marry people we already know through places like work, school, church etc.
2) Exchange Theory - We evaluate our worth and find a partner with similar worth, exchanging qualities like looks for money.
3) Complimentary Needs Theory - We find partners who fulfill our needs, like dominant people finding submissive partners.
4) Time and Place Theory - Fate determines who we marry at the right time and place. Most people date 4+ years before marriage.
Auguste Comte was a French philosopher considered the founder of the discipline of sociology. He proposed studying society scientifically through observation and classification of data. Comte believed that human thought progressed through three stages - theological, metaphysical, and positive. In the positive stage, which began around the 19th century, observation took precedence over imagination and the concept of God was replaced by seeking to understand causal relationships through empirical investigation and data. Comte coined the term "sociology" and emphasized the study of social progress and order through his concepts of social statics and dynamics. He developed the "Law of Three Stages" to describe the necessary and progressive evolution of human thought.
Ethnomethodology is an approach introduced by Harold Garfinkel that studies the everyday methods people use to produce social order. It examines how people make sense of their world through common practices and language. Ethnomethodology focuses on the practical activities and reasoning processes that people use in their everyday lives and views social reality as an ongoing accomplishment. Researchers use methods like interviews, observation, and experiments to understand these everyday methods of sense-making.
Schutz’s phenomenology of the social world (2011): IntroductionDr Tabea HIRZEL
Schutz's Phenomenology of the Social World outlines his theory of action, world of experiences, and social world. Action is a meaningful lived experience guided by intention and plan. The world of experiences consists of pre-predicative, intended, and objective meanings that form meaning contexts and schemes. The social world involves other-orientation through you/thou and they relationships that differ based on levels of actualization, concretization, proximity, and anonymity. Schutz conceptualizes the social world as a multidimensional space defined by these levels with the most personal interactions located closest to the self.
Ralf Dahrendorf was a German sociologist known for his work explaining class divisions in modern society. His most influential work, Class and Class Conflict in Industrial Society (1959), argued that classes form based on authority rather than wealth. He believed capitalism had changed since Marx, and that the struggle for authority creates social conflict. However, his theory did not significantly address culture, citizenship, and identity.
This document provides an overview and analysis of Anthony Giddens' Structuration Theory. It begins with an introduction to Giddens and his rejection of views that see social structures as either completely determining human agency or views that see humans as completely free. It then examines key aspects of Giddens' theory, including the duality of structure, the types of social structures, and the concepts of agency and the relationship between micro and macro levels of analysis. Finally, it discusses connections between Structuration Theory and human geography, particularly in understanding urban environments and the complex relationships between individuals and social forces within cities.
This presentation discusses symbolic interactionism and its key concepts. Symbolic interactionism focuses on the symbolic meanings that people develop and rely on in social interaction. It analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings people impose on objects, events, and behaviors. The main postulate is that human beings have the capacity for thought, which is shaped by social interaction and the learned meanings and symbols that allow people to act and interpret situations.
M.N. Srinivas was a prominent Indian sociologist who introduced the concept of Sanskritisation to describe the process of lower castes adopting the customs and ideology of upper castes to raise their social status. Sanskritisation involves behaviors like wearing sacred threads, following restrictions on meat and alcohol, and using Sanskrit words. It is a process of social mobility rather than structural change in the caste system. Sanskritisation takes place over multiple generations as lower castes emulate the practices of higher castes to enjoy increased economic and political privileges.
The document discusses macro and micro sociology. Macro sociology studies whole social structures and systems from a top-down perspective, while micro sociology focuses on interactions between individuals and how social contexts shape behavior at an interpersonal level. The document also examines concepts from the book "The Cheese and the Worms", which relates the story of an obscure miller who was burned at the stake for his heretical beliefs, as revealed through records of his trials.
Social institutions are established sets of norms and subsystems that support a society's survival. Examples include families, governments, and universities. A social institution performs social functions like satisfying needs, socializing individuals, and coordinating and stabilizing a culture. The family is the most important social institution. It socializes children, transmits culture, and provides affection, security, and social status. Education is also a major social institution. It transmits knowledge, values, and behaviors between generations through both formal schooling and informal socialization within families. Schools have intellectual, political, social, and economic functions like teaching skills, inculcating allegiance, socializing individuals for roles, and preparing them for occupations.
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.
Mead's theory of identity posits that identity emerges from an individual's ability to think of themselves in terms of the community they are socialized into. Individuals use images and symbols to visualize themselves and communicate with others through language and thought. Taking the role of the other allows individuals to see themselves through the eyes of others and shape their identity based on societal expectations.
This document provides an overview of sociological theory, outlining its early origins with thinkers like Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. It then discusses later developments with George Herbert Mead and Talcott Parsons, before examining present-day approaches including the continuation of functionalism, structuralism, symbolic interactionism, and Marxism. Key concepts from different theorists are summarized for each approach.
The document summarizes several major theories of deviance:
- Anomie or strain theory proposes that deviance results from a gap between cultural goals and the legitimate means to achieve them. There are five types of adaptation.
- Conflict theories view deviance as resulting from inequalities in power and resources under capitalism that marginalize the poor and force them into crime.
- Labeling theory argues that behaviors become deviant based on the labels attached by authorities, not inherent qualities, perpetuating deviance.
- Control or social bond theory suggests deviance occurs when social bonds and constraints that normally inhibit antisocial behavior are weakened. Four elements are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.
- Differential
G.S. Ghurye was a pioneering Indian sociologist who made immense contributions to developing the fields of sociology and anthropology in India. He wrote 32 books and numerous papers covering diverse topics. As the first head of the Department of Sociology at Bombay University from 1924-1959, he played a key role in professionalizing sociology. He founded the Indian Sociological Society and its journal, training many talented students who advanced research. Ghurye studied caste, tribe, culture, religion and more, providing new theoretical perspectives. He analyzed Indian society from both textual and empirical perspectives in a methodologically pluralistic way.
This document summarizes agrarian legislation and rural social structure in India. It discusses how agricultural legislation has evolved since independence to improve the socio-economic conditions of farmers through land reforms, ceiling on land holdings, and laws supporting land donations. The rural social structure is organized around family, kinship, caste, and village communities. While joint families were traditionally prevalent, nuclear families are becoming more common. Caste remains an important factor in marriage and social interactions, though its rigidity is reducing over time.
Positivism originated in Europe as a philosophy that believes true knowledge is only about observable facts that can be empirically verified through the senses. It is associated with the scientific method. Auguste Comte was a key proponent of positivism and proposed humanity progresses through theological, metaphysical, and positivist stages of understanding natural phenomena. In the positivist stage, phenomena are explained factually rather than through theological or metaphysical causes. Social sciences differ from natural sciences by studying complex human behaviors and societies as well as cultural contexts. They emphasize social structures, culture, and the decisions and interactions of individuals.
Sociology is defined as the scientific study of human society and social interactions. It was coined in 1839 by Auguste Comte and is derived from the Latin word for society and the Greek word for study. Sociology examines the social patterns and organization of human society. It can be divided into branches that study topics like social structures, social institutions, and social dynamics. There are two main schools of thought on the scope of sociology - the specialistic school views it as narrowly focused on forms of social relationships, while the synthetic school sees it as a broad, interdisciplinary study of all aspects of society and social life.
Emile Durkheim was a French philosopher and sociologist in the late 19th/early 20th century. He believed that society exerted powerful influences on individuals by establishing social norms and values that people internalized. Durkheim identified social integration as the process by which new generations and immigrants adapt to the social structures of a given society, including customs, social networks and languages. He studied how social order is maintained through social attachments like social groups and networks, as well as social regulation via values, norms, mores and laws. Durkheim analyzed concepts like social facts, the division of labor in societies, different types of suicide, and the role of religion in creating social order and cohesion. He is considered the
The document discusses several theories of mate selection:
1) Propinquity Theory - We marry people we already know through places like work, school, church etc.
2) Exchange Theory - We evaluate our worth and find a partner with similar worth, exchanging qualities like looks for money.
3) Complimentary Needs Theory - We find partners who fulfill our needs, like dominant people finding submissive partners.
4) Time and Place Theory - Fate determines who we marry at the right time and place. Most people date 4+ years before marriage.
Auguste Comte was a French philosopher considered the founder of the discipline of sociology. He proposed studying society scientifically through observation and classification of data. Comte believed that human thought progressed through three stages - theological, metaphysical, and positive. In the positive stage, which began around the 19th century, observation took precedence over imagination and the concept of God was replaced by seeking to understand causal relationships through empirical investigation and data. Comte coined the term "sociology" and emphasized the study of social progress and order through his concepts of social statics and dynamics. He developed the "Law of Three Stages" to describe the necessary and progressive evolution of human thought.
Ethnomethodology is an approach introduced by Harold Garfinkel that studies the everyday methods people use to produce social order. It examines how people make sense of their world through common practices and language. Ethnomethodology focuses on the practical activities and reasoning processes that people use in their everyday lives and views social reality as an ongoing accomplishment. Researchers use methods like interviews, observation, and experiments to understand these everyday methods of sense-making.
Schutz’s phenomenology of the social world (2011): IntroductionDr Tabea HIRZEL
Schutz's Phenomenology of the Social World outlines his theory of action, world of experiences, and social world. Action is a meaningful lived experience guided by intention and plan. The world of experiences consists of pre-predicative, intended, and objective meanings that form meaning contexts and schemes. The social world involves other-orientation through you/thou and they relationships that differ based on levels of actualization, concretization, proximity, and anonymity. Schutz conceptualizes the social world as a multidimensional space defined by these levels with the most personal interactions located closest to the self.
Ralf Dahrendorf was a German sociologist known for his work explaining class divisions in modern society. His most influential work, Class and Class Conflict in Industrial Society (1959), argued that classes form based on authority rather than wealth. He believed capitalism had changed since Marx, and that the struggle for authority creates social conflict. However, his theory did not significantly address culture, citizenship, and identity.
This document provides an overview and analysis of Anthony Giddens' Structuration Theory. It begins with an introduction to Giddens and his rejection of views that see social structures as either completely determining human agency or views that see humans as completely free. It then examines key aspects of Giddens' theory, including the duality of structure, the types of social structures, and the concepts of agency and the relationship between micro and macro levels of analysis. Finally, it discusses connections between Structuration Theory and human geography, particularly in understanding urban environments and the complex relationships between individuals and social forces within cities.
This presentation discusses symbolic interactionism and its key concepts. Symbolic interactionism focuses on the symbolic meanings that people develop and rely on in social interaction. It analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings people impose on objects, events, and behaviors. The main postulate is that human beings have the capacity for thought, which is shaped by social interaction and the learned meanings and symbols that allow people to act and interpret situations.
M.N. Srinivas was a prominent Indian sociologist who introduced the concept of Sanskritisation to describe the process of lower castes adopting the customs and ideology of upper castes to raise their social status. Sanskritisation involves behaviors like wearing sacred threads, following restrictions on meat and alcohol, and using Sanskrit words. It is a process of social mobility rather than structural change in the caste system. Sanskritisation takes place over multiple generations as lower castes emulate the practices of higher castes to enjoy increased economic and political privileges.
The document discusses macro and micro sociology. Macro sociology studies whole social structures and systems from a top-down perspective, while micro sociology focuses on interactions between individuals and how social contexts shape behavior at an interpersonal level. The document also examines concepts from the book "The Cheese and the Worms", which relates the story of an obscure miller who was burned at the stake for his heretical beliefs, as revealed through records of his trials.
Social institutions are established sets of norms and subsystems that support a society's survival. Examples include families, governments, and universities. A social institution performs social functions like satisfying needs, socializing individuals, and coordinating and stabilizing a culture. The family is the most important social institution. It socializes children, transmits culture, and provides affection, security, and social status. Education is also a major social institution. It transmits knowledge, values, and behaviors between generations through both formal schooling and informal socialization within families. Schools have intellectual, political, social, and economic functions like teaching skills, inculcating allegiance, socializing individuals for roles, and preparing them for occupations.
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.
Mead's theory of identity posits that identity emerges from an individual's ability to think of themselves in terms of the community they are socialized into. Individuals use images and symbols to visualize themselves and communicate with others through language and thought. Taking the role of the other allows individuals to see themselves through the eyes of others and shape their identity based on societal expectations.
This document provides an overview of symbolic interactionism and its key concepts as developed by George Herbert Mead and Herbert Blumer. It discusses:
- The basic principles of symbolic interactionism, including that humans think and act based on the meanings and interpretations derived from social interactions.
- The contributions of Mead in developing the theories of the "I" and "Me" and how the self develops. Blumer later coined the term "symbolic interactionism" and emphasized that people act based on meanings.
- Blumer's three core principles - that meaning comes from social interaction, language allows for the negotiation of meaning through symbols, and thought is based on the interpretation of symbols.
- Applications of symbolic interactionism
This document discusses the theory of symbolic interactionism. It begins by defining symbolic interactionism and its key objectives to understand how people derive meaning from interactions and symbols. It describes how symbols can take many forms, from language to objects. The document then explains the origins and key thinkers of symbolic interactionism, including George Herbert Mead and Charles Cooley. It outlines Mead's concepts of the "I" and "Me" and how the self develops. Finally, it discusses six ways symbolic interactionism can be applied, such as in creating reality, research, and self-fulfilling prophecies.
Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level social theory that focuses on how people learn culture and how culture structures everyday experiences through symbolic meanings. It originated in the 1920s at the University of Chicago. George H. Mead was influential in arguing that the human mind develops through social interaction and the use of symbols to create shared meanings. He believed that symbols, developed socially, act as filters that allow people to understand themselves, others, and society. Later theorists like Blumer built upon Mead's work to outline three core premises of symbolic interactionism: that people act based on the meanings of things in their environment, those meanings come from social interactions, and meanings are interpreted and modified during social encounters.
The document discusses Stuart Hall's "circuit of culture" model for understanding how culture circulates through various moments: production, consumption, representation, identity, and regulation. It provides examples of how representations can take on different meanings depending on context. The encoding/decoding model emphasizes that media texts are interpreted differently depending on the cultural conditions of producers and audiences. Symbolic interactionism views people as actively constructing meanings and identities through social interaction.
Herbert Blumer was an American sociologist known for developing symbolic interactionism based on the work of George Herbert Mead. He viewed human behavior as shaped through social interaction and the interpretation of symbols. Blumer proposed three premises of symbolic interaction: 1) people act based on the meanings of things, 2) meanings arise through social interaction, and 3) people modify meanings through interpretation. Symbolic interactionism examines how people construct society and their identities through the negotiated meanings of symbols in interaction.
This document discusses several theories related to phenomenology and interpretation. It covers Husserl's classical phenomenology, which focuses on direct conscious experience as a path to truth. Schutz' social phenomenology builds on this by examining how social and linguistic factors shape experience. Ricoeur's hermeneutics studies interpretation of texts. The document also discusses the muted group theory in feminism, which proposes that women's perspectives are marginalized due to lack of power. Key concepts discussed include lifeworld, typification, and the different realms of social reality.
Symbolic interactionism is a theory that views society as the product of interactions between individuals. It proposes that 1) people act based on the meanings assigned to things through social interactions, 2) meaning arises through social interactions and language, and 3) an individual's thoughts are modified by their own interpretation of symbols and perspective taking of others. According to symbolic interactionism, the self and reality are social constructions that emerge through communication and the shared interpretation and understanding created between people through symbolic interactions like language.
Symbolic Interactionism by George Herbert MeadAnne Cortez
Symbolic interactionism is a theory that views society as a complex system of symbolic communications between individuals. It proposes that 1) people act based on the meanings symbols have for them, 2) meanings arise through social interactions where people define and redefine symbols, and 3) people's thoughts and their views of themselves are modified through an internal interpretation of one's own and others' actions. According to this view, the self develops as people learn to see themselves through the eyes of others and their perceptions are internalized.
Symbolic interactionism views identity as something that is constructed through social interaction and the interpretation of symbols. It focuses on concepts like roles, scripts, masks, and the generalized other. A key theorist discussed is George Herbert Mead, who distinguished between the "I" as spontaneous self and the "Me" as internalized social expectations. Erving Goffman also contributed ideas around dramaturgy and performance of social roles. The process of socialization shapes one's internalized perspective through role-taking and interpreting the views of society.
George Herbert Mead was a 20th century philosopher who developed the theory of symbolic interactionism. The core principles of symbolic interactionism are: (1) meaning arises through social interaction and language; (2) people interpret the world based on the meanings and perspectives of others as they take on different social roles; and (3) the self is formed through social interaction and seeing oneself through the perspectives of others. Mead believed that human thought and identity are shaped by how people interact and communicate with one another using symbols and language.
Social Perception (Perceiving and Understanding Others)RebekahSamuel2
Social perception involves forming impressions of and understanding others based on verbal and nonverbal cues. There are several key aspects and channels of social perception.
Nonverbal communication, which makes up a large portion of how we understand others, occurs through various channels including facial expressions, eye contact, body language, gestures, and others. These channels can provide cues to emotions, attitudes, and traits. Accuracy in social perception is an important part of social competence and functioning well with others.
Social perception involves forming impressions of and making inferences about other people based on verbal and nonverbal cues. This document outlines several key aspects of social perception, including nonverbal communication cues like facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, and body language. It discusses how these cues are used in social competence and forming impressions. Specific nonverbal channels covered include facial expressions, eye contact, gestures including emblems, illustrators, and adaptors, and body movements and postures. Culture can influence the expression and interpretation of emotional cues. Being able to accurately perceive and understand social cues is an important part of social interaction and competence.
The document discusses intrapersonal communication, which is communication with oneself through thinking, self-talk, and internal dialogue. It covers key aspects of intrapersonal communication like self-concept, perceptions, needs, and communication with others. The objectives are to reflect on self-introspection, understand how self-concept relates to intrapersonal communication, and gain a deeper understanding of one's own self-communication skills.
The document discusses different perspectives on the self and its development through social interactions. It addresses how children internalize social norms and values through language and interactions from a young age based on theories from Mead and Vygotsky. Family plays a key role in shaping one's self-hood and initiating them into ways of living. The self is also discussed as a mental construct that is created and recreated through memory and is influenced by social comparisons and relationships.
This document provides an overview of key concepts in systemic therapy, including social constructionism and its influence on understanding the self and emotions. It discusses how social constructionism views reality as co-constructed through language and relationships. The self is seen as developed through interactions with others from a young age. Emotions are also viewed as socially and culturally constructed. Context is emphasized as central to meaning, and the document outlines changes to traditional Milan principles like curiosity replacing neutrality. Circular questioning is introduced as a way to explore relationships.
Symbolic interactionism focuses on how people interpret the meanings of symbols and actions in their environment and society. George Herbert Mead founded this theory, arguing that people construct meaning through shared symbols and by imagining themselves in another's perspective. This allows for self-awareness and the ability to understand and respond to others, which enables social cooperation and the formation of social norms, institutions, and roles.
Lesson 2 and 3_UTS.pptx understanding the selflimedy534
Sociology and the four subfields of anthropology provide perspectives on the development of the self. In sociology, Mead viewed the self as developing through social interaction, with the 'I' and 'Me' parts of self emerging. Cooley's looking glass self saw the self as influenced by how we think others see us. Goffman viewed self-presentation as a performance for social acceptance. Anthropology studies humanity's biological, linguistic, archaeological and cultural diversity and similarities, finding that while humans vary, we share traits of survival, communication and culture that both unite and distinguish us.
2. 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.
3. Introduction Cont’d
• 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 Interactionism.”
4. Introduction Cont’d
• 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.
5. • Herbert Blumer came up with three basic
principles for his theory.
• Meaning, Language, and Thought.
• These three principles lead to conclusions
about the creation of a persons self and
socialization into a larger community.
6. 1st 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
7. Meaning Cont’d
• 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.
8. Meaning Cont’d
• This theory tells us that its how people interpret
messages and statements.
• Each one of us has a different meaning assigned to
different things.
• 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.
• 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.
9. 2nd 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.
10. 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
11. 3rd 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.
12. Language
• Mead believes that “We naturally talk to
ourselves in order to sort out the meaning
of a difficult situation.”
• 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.
13. Conclusion
• George Herbert Mead was a professor whose
teachings were transformed into a theory that is
well known and taught throughout the world.
• Symbolic Interactionism 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.
14. • 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.
• 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.
17. Things to Keep in Mind
• Both Language and Thought arise out of
people socializing with one another
(Symbolic Interactionism).
• Much of the time Language and Thought
go hand in hand.
• I like to teach with examples.
18. Love
Unlike boom, smack, and thump- words
usually have no logical connection to the objects they describe.
19. Language
• Language is the source of meaning.
– Everything in life has a different meaning.
• All objects, people, and abstract ideas
have been assigned certain names.
• Meaning has never been inherent.
21. • Spoken words, written words, and pictures
are all apart of our language.
• Each word or picture means different
things to each individual.
• Each person’s language is shaped by other
people.
22. Thought
• Humans come
equipped with a mind
wired for thought.
• That mind allows
everyone to interpret
the symbols of our
language.
23. “Minding”
• Minding is the two-second delay where
individuals rehearse the next move and
anticipate how others will react.
George Herbert Mead
24. 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.
25. Taking the Role of the Other
• This is seeing the world through another’s
eyes.
• Walking in someone else’s shoes
• Grown up version of having imaginary
friends and talking to yourself.
26. To conclude
• Symbolic Interactionism 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.
28. • The self is a basic concept in symbolic
interactionism, which requires the understanding
of meaning, language and thought.
• It allows humans to reflect on themselves and
argue with themselves helping to develop an
accurate self image.
• The looking-glass self and the generalized other
are parts of a larger tool which helps individuals
develop their self concepts.
• These concepts help form who we are as
individuals and lead to conclusions about the
creation of a person’s self and socialization into
a larger community.
29. Reflections in a Looking Glass
• We develop who we are based on ideas that
come from, “taking the role of the other”,
imagining how we look to another person.
• Interactionists call this mental image the
“looking-glass self”.
• The self is a combination of “I” and “me”. The
“I” refers to what is unpredictable and
unorganized about the self while the “me” is the
image of the self seen through the looking glass
or other peoples’ perceptions.
30. Real-Life Application of the
Looking-Glass Self
• Looking-glass self is the
process of developing a self-
image on the basis of the
messages we get from
others, as we understand
them.
• There are three components
to the looking glass self:
1.Imagine how we appear to
others; 2. Imagine what their
judgment of that appearance
must be; 3. Develop some
self-feeling, such as pride or
mortification, as a result of
our imagining others'
judgment.
31. Generalized Other
• Over-arching looking-glass self that we put
together from the reflection we see in everyone
we know or the expectations of society that
influence every conversation that takes place in
peoples’ minds.
• Shapes how we think and act within a
community.
• As the generalized other develops, children often
have imaginary friends that grow into an internal
conversational partner which helps children
participate in their own socialization. The child
then gradually takes on the roles of the
community.
32. Real Life Application of the
Generalized Other
• Negative responses can
consequently reduce a
person to nothing.
• “Cipher in the Snow”
• Harry Potter
• Through the “looking-
glass self” and the
“generalized other” a
person is able to define
their self image and
develop who they are as
an individual.
34. Symbolic Interactionism
• The characteristics of this approach are
human interaction, interpretation or
definition rather than mere reaction,
response based on meaning, use of
symbols, and interpretation between
stimulus and response
• It is concerned with the interaction order
of daily life and experiences, rather than
the structure.
35. Six Applications of Symbolic
Interactionism
• There are six different applications within
the theory of symbolic interactionism:
– creating reality
– meaning-ful research
– generalized other
– naming
– symbol manipulation
– the self-fulfilling prophecy
36. Creating Reality
• Sociologist Erving Goffman argues that everyone is
constantly negotiating with others to publicly define
our identity and the nature of the situation in the
creating reality application.
• The impression of reality is a delicate and fragile
thing that can be shattered.
37. Meaning-ful research
• In meaning-ful research, Mead claims that
research occurs through participant
observation.
• Mead believes that behavioral experimental
and survey research are void of the meaning of
the experience.
38. Generalized other
• Generalized other is described as the combined
mental image of others in a community, their
expectations, and possible responses to one’s
self.
• In symbolic interaction, there is a tragic potential
of negative responses consequently reducing a
person to perceiving themselves as nothing.
• The generalized other is a combination of all of
the looking glass selves that others give us.
• The looking glass self is imaging how we look to
others.
39. Naming
• Naming is what we would call name-calling, such
as retard, slut, liar, ugly, etc.
• Name-calling can be devastating because it
forces us to view ourselves through a warped
mirror.
• These grotesque images are not easily dispelled
and can be very hurtful and damaging. This is
shown in a clip from the T.V. show South Park.
• http://youtube.com/watch?v=LGBYVnkSqis
41. Self-fulfilling prophecy
• Each and everyone of us affects how others
view themselves.
• Predictions in the self-fulfilling prophecy may be
false but made true by one’s actions. One’s
prophecy is simply a possibility that is made into
probability by one’s unconscious or conscious
actions.
• Our expectations evoke responses that confirm
what we originally anticipated, resulting in a self-
fulfilling prophecy.
44. The Social Penetration Theory
• Explains relational closeness through the
process of honest self-disclosure and
social exchange.
• Griffin, E. (2007). A first look at communication theory (6th ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill.
45. Close Relationships and
Intimacy
• Three categories of personal bonds:
– Friendships
– Romantic Relationships
– Family
Intimacy can provide enjoyment, trust, sharing
of confidences, respect, mutual assistance,
and spontaneity.
46. Depth of Penetration
• Four observations:
– Peripheral items are exchanged more
frequently and sooner than private info
– Self-disclosure is reciprocal where there is an
equal exchange of openness
– Penetration is rapid at the start, but slows
down as inner layers are reached
– Depenetration occurs by a gradual process of
layer-by-layer withdrawal
47. Social Exchange and Comparison
Level
• The closeness of a relationship is
dependent upon the cost-benefit analysis
of social exchange, where people weigh
the risks and rewards of self-disclosure.
• The Comparison Level evaluates social
outcomes through two standards
– Relative satisfaction (how happy or sad it
makes you feel)
– By judging outcomes based on past
experiences and their sequence.
48. Part II: Application
• You already know:
1. The Social Penetration theory is an
approach to how and why
relationships form.
2. Each person has inner values and
emotions that must be revealed
through a process of self-disclosure.
3. This process of revelation is
fundamental in forming friendships,
romantic relationships, and family
49. How do relationships form?
• Bonds form through revealing each
person’s inner self (self-disclosure).
• A basic understanding of the personality
structure: an onion,
• And how this model works.
50. Why do relationships form?
• Intimate bonds can:
provide enjoyment,
trust, sharing of fears
and dreams
• One decides that the
benefits must
outweigh the costs
(you can get
something out of it).
• The formation of
bonds is a human
characteristic that we
You just
want
a
coffe
e
date!
Or a buddy to fish with you.
51. What does this mean to me?
• By understanding how and why
relationships form, we can deepen our
current ones and be prepared for the
future bonds that will form.
• The first step in allowing closeness is
“letting your guard down”.
•As we eventually let
people in, we are
allowing penetration
52. • We gain closeness through:
1.Honest self-disclosure
--Don’t wear masks!
--Let your guard down!
2.Understanding people and their
complexity
What does this mean to me?
53. The Personality Structure
• The outer layers are
the first to be
penetrated and
include more public
information.
• Gradual disclosure
will lead to more
understanding of
each individual.
• Once penetrated, it
will be easier to
Goals and
aspirations
Preferences in food,
music, clothes
Biographical
data
Religious
views
Deeply held fears
and fantasies Concept of
self
Source: Griffen, E. (2007). A first look at communication theory
(6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
54. Other Observations of SPT
• The Law of Reciprocity is important
when disclosing; “emotional equity”
between the two people.
Take turns revealing layers
• Penetration is rapid at the start, but
slows as inner layers are reached.
Intimate layers take years to be
revealed and some may never be
disclosed.
55. • Depenetration is a gradual process of layer
by layer withdrawal.
• It is usually mutual and characterized by
lack of care and enjoyment.
• Areas of one’s life are closed off from the
other and no new information is shared.
--Griffen, E. (2007). A first look at communication theory
(6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Other Observations of SPT cont.
56. Conclusion
• Humans reveal information in order to
gain closeness in relationships. The
process of penetrating layers helps them
to grow deeper and have a better
understanding of each other.
• One will choose a relationship when it is
beneficial or they find the other person
interesting.
• Questions??