Symbolic interactionism

1. Symbolic Interactionism
Members:
Dhemple Medrano
Eddie Jane Cabugo
Ebony Elemanco
Sky Pimentel

2. Symbolic interactionism
is a theory on society that focuses on the individual's interaction with objects and other
people. It perceives reality through the compositions of social interactions and the
understanding of the meanings of these social interactions that provide a perspective on
social order and social society. The basic premise of symbolic interactionism is that
behavior is influenced and can only be examined through social interactions. Consider the
following, for instance. The Filipino word for window is often thought of as bintana,
which came from the Spanish word ventana. For Spaniards, the window is associated
with ventilation, which allows cold air to circulate around the house and the hot air to get
out. However, for the Filipino the formal word for window is not bintana but dungawan.
For the Filipinos, the window is associated with something to look outside on; but more
than that, the dungawan is a place where Filipinos could socialize at. Typically, an
individual opens his or her window to see the neighborhood, to greet people passing by,
and to learn about the latest news in town.

3. Key Concepts in Symbolic interaction
Interaction-based Meaning
It can be said that meaning is not monopolized by
a single person or perspective---something can have
different meanings as there are different perspectives.
Actions are determined by the meanings people’s
association of meanings. As meaning changes, so does
society. Even interactions with the environment are only
done through the meanings assigned to them. A tree can
be perceived as a source of shade during hot days, or as
means to produce a thousand sheets of paper. Symbolic
interaction sees reality not just as meanings but sees meanings as constitutive of
reality itself. Hence, culture, science, society, and mathematics to name a few are only
as real as the meanings assigned to them.

4. Human Agency
Humans are perceived to be active social actors who willingly
negotiate their roles and identities within and through the system.
This concept emphasizes the capacity of humans to project and plan
their actions based on certain goals formed for the betterment of
their conditions. Hence, despite the impositions of a greater
structure, the individual can be seen as an active player in the
interpretation and modification of the structure's rules and
processes

5. Herbert Blumer
Herbert Blumer (1900–1987) was an American
sociologist who coined the term symbolic
interactionism. A central idea to Blumer’s works
is that social reality is in a continuous process of
creation. This idea stems from the notion that
social interactions happen in a society at a given
place and time. It follows that social reality is in a
constant process of creation and reinvention.
Important Theorists

6. Symbolic interactionism, for Blumer, has three basic
premises:
1. “Humans act toward things on the basis of the basis of the
perceived goal. An individual ascribes a meaning to a particular goal
and this affects his or her actions toward achieving it.
2. “the meanings of things derive from social interaction". The
meanings ascribed by individuals to things are formed from their
interaction with society. In a sense, the individual accepts the
meanings of things given by society.

7. 3. “These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an
interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he
or she encounters." Meanings are in a constant flux; they are evolving
each time interaction takes place and each time an individual reflects
on these interactions. Although the interpretation of things and the
corresponding meanings produced are internal and subjective,
elements which formed the meanings are highly social and come from
interactions. As such, the creation of meaning requires, in some level,
conformity to the generally established meaning assigned by society.

8. In social perspective, meaning is subject to negotiation in order to reach
a consensus of a mutually understood meaning. Adjustments to
personally derived meanings must be made in order to address another
individual in a social interaction. This adjustment is done through the
process of role play. Role play, in this context, is the ability to perceive
the object of conversation through the eyes of the other. In doing so, it
allows for a better consensus on what the object means, thereby
allowing a better understanding of what the general meaning of the
object is. Without a consensus, the object would remain distant to both
individuals in a dialog, inasmuch as it becomes a limiting force in the
force in the process of understanding each other.

9. George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) was an
American sociologist, philosopher,
and psychologist, considered as one of the
founders of social psychology. Mead
developed a theory of the social self, which
interprets the self as emerging from social
interactions. Mead’s three activities are
language, play, and games.
George Herbert Mead

10. Language allows communication through which attitudes, opinions,
emotions, and ideas are conveyed between individuals. Language also
allows individuals to respond to each other using symbols, gestures,
and sounds. For Mead, the use of language enables the individual to
understand and internalize the opinions of others about him or her.
Play, on the other hand, allows an individual to act in another role or
capacity, or what is commonly referred to as role play. Role play is
important as it makes the individual confine his or her actions by the
expected roles assigned to him or her. Play enables the self to
internalize his or her roles and assume the expectations derived from
such roles.
Games allow an individual to act within the confines imposed by the
rules of activity. They also allow an individual to know when to bend
the rules or to completely break them. Games allow an individual to
internalize and acquire knowledge of societal rules, which are essential
in order to live in a society

11. Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929) was an
American sociologist whose main
contribution in the field was the study of primary
groups. He coined and defined
primary group as the first group where a person
belongs, and where the individual
develops his or her ideas, beliefs, values, and self.
Based on the given definition, one
will instinctively think of the family as his or her
primary group. The family, being the first primary
group, influences the way a person thinks and the
way he or she relates
to others.
Charles Horton Cooley

12. Cooley’s most famous theory of self is the
looking-glass self in which the self is understood
as that which is formed from interactions, such
as those done with the primary group. The
looking-glass self is the process by which self-
consciousness emerges through the lens of the
other.

13. Harold Garfinkeld (1917–2011) was an American
sociologist and
ethnomethodologist. Unlike other sociologist theories,
the aim of ethnomethodology is
not the analysis of society, but the methods,
procedures, and practices by which
members of society use to make sense out of the
world. Ethnomethodology is
sometimes related to the theory of common sense, as
its main focus of study is the
everyday interactions of people through the use of
symbols, language, gestures, and
emotions, which enable the construction of a
meaningful social order.
Harold Garfinkeld

14. Unlike traditional sociology, ethnomethodology is not an analysis of society. It does
not provide a theory by which the society can achieve social stability or social
unity. Rather, it allows social stability, unity and order by looking into society's
individual members and how each one performs. One method used in
ethnomethodology is termed as first time through, which refers to the practice of
describing social activities as if being witnessed for the first time. The purpose of
the first time through method is to allow the observer to be better in framing
social activities, as it would require intense reflection on his or her part to actually
conduct. Deviation from social norms elicits bewilderment, and in most cases a
negative response from the other. For Garfinkeld, social order is constructed using
common sense or the consensually accepted practices of society for given social
interactions and events. As such, social order is not something which naturally
occurs, but is more of a social accomplishment. Hence, members of society must
be taught common rules agreed upon and these rules must be practiced in their
daily lives. When a common sense rule works, then it is repeated to achieve social
order.

15. ESSENTIAL LEARNING
The theory of symbolic interactionism relies heavily on the qualitative approach to research, as
it aims to make sense of human behavior through the social circles that an individual interacts
with. The theory is highly relevant in providing context to how we acquire our behaviors and
the importance of social groups in the formation of the self.
Symbolic interactionism is a sociological theory that develops from practical considerations and
alludes to people's particular utilization of dialect to make images and normal implications, for
deduction and correspondence with others. The view of social behavior emphasizes linguistic
or gestural communication and its subjective understanding, especially the role of language in
the formation of the child as a social being.
Symbolic interactionism is viewing society as composed of symbols that people use to establish
meaning, develop views about the world, and communicate with one another. We are thinking
beings who act according to how we interpret situations.