What Would a Symbolic Interactionist Studying the Family Be Most Interested in?
Sociological Epitome #iii: Symbolic Interactionist Theory
Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theory that focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society. Advice—the exchange of pregnant through language and symbols—is believed to be the way in which people make sense of their social worlds. Theorists Herman and Reynolds (1994) note that this perspective sees people equally being active in shaping the social world rather than simply beingness acted upon.
George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) is considered a founder of symbolic interactionism though he never published his work on information technology (LaRossa and Reitzes 1993). Mead's student, Herbert Blumer, coined the term "symbolic interactionism" and outlined these bones premises: humans interact with things based on meanings ascribed to those things; the ascribed meaning of things comes from our interactions with others and society; the meanings of things are interpreted by a person when dealing with things in specific circumstances (Blumer 1969). If you love books, for example, a symbolic interactionist might suggest that you learned that books are good or important in the interactions you had with family, friends, school, or church; possibly your family had a special reading time each week, getting your library card was treated as a special event, or bedtime stories were associated with warmth and condolement.
Social scientists who utilize symbolic-interactionist thinking look for patterns of interaction betwixt individuals. Their studies often involve observation of ane-on-one interactions. For instance, while a conflict theorist studying a political protest might focus on course difference, a symbolic interactionist would be more interested in how individuals in the protesting group interact, besides as the signs and symbols protesters use to communicate their bulletin. 
The focus on the importance of symbols in edifice a society led sociologists like Erving Goffman (1922–1982) to develop a technique chosen dramaturgical analysis. Goffman used theater as an illustration for social interaction and recognized that people's interactions showed patterns of cultural "scripts." Because it can exist unclear what part a person may play in a given state of affairs, he or she has to improvise his or her role equally the situation unfolds (Goffman 1958).
Studies that employ the symbolic interactionist perspective are more than probable to use qualitative research methods, such equally in-depth interviews or participant observation, because they seek to understand the symbolic worlds in which research subjects live.
Constructivism is an extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct information technology to be. Nosotros develop social constructs based on interactions with others, and those constructs that last over time are those that have meanings which are widely agreed-upon or by and large accepted by most inside the society. This approach is often used to empathize what's defined as deviant within a guild. There is no accented definition of deviance, and different societies have synthetic dissimilar meanings for deviance, likewise as associating dissimilar behaviors with deviance. One situation that illustrates this is what you lot believe you're to practice if you lot observe a wallet in the street. In the U.s., turning the wallet in to local authorities would exist considered the advisable activeness, and to keep the wallet would be seen equally deviant. In contrast, many Eastern societies would consider it much more than appropriate to keep the wallet and search for the possessor yourself; turning information technology over to someone else, even the government, would be considered deviant beliefs.
Bring It Home
The primary tenets of symbolic interactionism are explained in the following video.
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Criticism
Research washed from this perspective is ofttimes scrutinized because of the difficulty of remaining objective. Others criticize the extremely narrow focus on symbolic interaction. Proponents, of grade, consider this one of its greatest strengths.
Farming and Locavores: How Sociological Perspectives Might View Food Consumption
The consumption of food is a commonplace, daily occurrence, yet it can besides be associated with important moments in our lives. Eating tin be an private or a group action, and eating habits and customs are influenced past our cultures. In the context of lodge, our nation's food system is at the core of numerous social movements, political issues, and economic debates. Whatsoever of these factors might become a topic of sociological study.
A structural-functional approach to the topic of food consumption might be interested in the role of the agriculture industry within the nation'southward economy and how this has inverse from the early on days of manual-labor farming to modern mechanized production. Another examination might study the different functions that occur in food production: from farming and harvesting to flashy packaging and mass consumerism.
A disharmonize theorist might be interested in the ability differentials present in the regulation of nutrient, by exploring where people'southward right to information intersects with corporations' drive for profit and how the government mediates those interests. Or a conflict theorist might be interested in the power and powerlessness experienced by local farmers versus big farming conglomerates, such equally the documentary Nutrient Inc. depicts equally resulting from Monsanto'south patenting of seed applied science. Another topic of study might be how diet varies betwixt different social classes.
A sociologist viewing food consumption through a symbolic interactionist lens would be more interested in micro-level topics, such as the symbolic utilize of food in religious rituals, or the role it plays in the social interaction of a family unit dinner. This perspective might also study the interactions among grouping members who identify themselves based on their sharing a particular diet, such as vegetarians (people who don't eat meat) or locavores (people who strive to swallow locally produced food).
Sociological Theory Today
These iii approaches are still the principal foundation of modern sociological theory, but some development has been seen. Structural-functionalism was a dominant force later World State of war II and until the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, sociologists began to experience that structural-functionalism did non sufficiently explain the rapid social changes happening in the United States at that fourth dimension.
Conflict theory then gained prominence, as there was renewed emphasis on institutionalized social inequality. Critical theory, and the detail aspects of feminist theory and critical race theory, focused on creating social change through the application of sociological principles, and the field saw a renewed emphasis on helping ordinary people understand sociology principles, in the form of public sociology.
Postmodern social theory attempts to look at society through an entirely new lens by rejecting previous macro-level attempts to explicate social phenomena. More often than not considered as gaining acceptance in the late 1970s and early 1980s, postmodern social theory is a micro-level approach that looks at small-scale, local groups and individual reality. Its growth in popularity coincides with the constructivist aspects of symbolic interactionism.
Key Takeaways
Review the major sociological theories (excluding social constructionism) once again in the following video.
Practice
ane. A symbolic interactionist may compare social interactions to:
- behaviors
- conflicts
- human organs
- theatrical roles
- Surveys
- Participant ascertainment
- Quantitative data assay
- None of the above
Self-Check: Theoretical Perspectives
You lot'll have more success on the Self-Check, if yous've completed the v Readings, and watched the Videos in this section.
Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/alamo-sociology/chapter/reading-symbolic-interactionist-theory/
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