Symbolic Interaction Essay

Symbolic Interaction is the view of social behavior that emphasizes linguistic or gestural communication. First example that I came across was towards the end of the book. The pigs became human like and had to rely

Even in the movies, sociology can be found. Most people think sociology is limited to just worldly problems, but it can be it can be a very broad term. Symbolic Interaction is a communication theory that states society and individuals are created based upon the interactions between each other. One Disney movie that stands out is Aladdin. I feel this movie does a great job of providing examples of symbolic interactionism. My plan is to discuss symbolic interaction and provide examples of the theory.

Symbolic interactionism focuses on the language and symbols that help us give meaning to the experiences in life. It also studies how people discuss the meaning of social life during interactions

Social conflict also focuses on macro-sociology. Symbolic interaction paradigm says society functions well through interactions. Communication is spreaded through symbols created by society. Social interaction is important, because it causes social change. Many variables such as behavior events are explained through social contact with others. The people are the ones who determine what is reality, and what is not reality. Life works in a dramatization point of view. Symbolic interaction paradigm focuses on the small issues that affect communities in society, therefore making it a micro-level orientation. Functionalist paradigm sees society as a well integrated, self-regulating system that meets people’s needs. While Social conflict views society having many groups that are self reliant, with their own goals and needs. Symbolic interaction explains society is shaped, and constructed through interaction, and communication with others.

The Symbolic Interaction theory refers to ways in which a family or society attaches meaning to verbal communication, non-verbal communication, people, and objects. We are taught from a young age communication using verbal language and accepted ways to express our needs. The theory represents perception of objects or actions (Macionis, 2007, p.17).

Symbolic Interactionism looks at how every individual will give everything in their society a different meaning depending on their past experiences and expectations. It is a behavior dictated by the meanings we connect to signs, symbols, and interactions. The main thought was that your sense of self develops through social interactions that you have with other people. And those interactions are based on the symbols that you view during that time. Symbolic Interactionism examines deviance by not trusting official statistics and see them as socially constructed, ignores big structures such as class and poverty, and does not concerned with why people commit crime, more concerned with how certain groups become labeled as criminals.

Symbolic Interactionism is described in the book as the ongoing use of languages and gestures in anticipation of how the other will react. Basically this theory is how we use every day verbal and nonverbal language to interact with others and create meanings. These interactions can bring different meanings depend on the relationship and how the sender uses the symbols. It can also mean different things based on the culture and the society. A moment I can recall where I experienced symbolic interaction was when I first seen my girlfriend. She signaled to me asking for help by interlocking her fingers and holding them under her chin. She was about to get tossed in a pool at a party we were and if I didn 't recognize her sign for help she would have gotten soaked that day.

Last, symbolic interaction is the third of the three sociological perspectives. Symbolic interaction is things that human attach meanings to. Symbolic interaction is a micro-level theory. Micro-level theories are small scale theories. Heart shape symbols, for example, is a symbolic element. Humans use red hearts to represent the love hey have for each other. Symbolic interaction relates to divorce by a couple removing their wedding bands. Individuals who does not wear wedding bands symbolizes they are single or divorced. Also, by one of the spouse refusing to wear their wedding bands can offend the opposite partner and cause the marriage to stray towards divorce.

The sociological framework consists of several parts. Each piece of the framework interacts with and shapes all the other pieces. The components of the framework include: the social system, culture, social structure, socialization, individuals, and interaction. The social system is comprised of social groups that cohere together to make some kind of whole, in this case gender. The social system is directly shaped by culture, social structure and interaction. Culture is a set of knowledge, beliefs, values, and rules about behavior that are held commonly within a system. This can include language, rituals and practices. Culture also includes norms and roles. Norms are the shared expectations for behavior that predominate in a society. Roles are norms that are attached to specific social positions. Social structure is the organization of a social system in terms of positions and relationships among those positions, as well as the distribution of resources and responsibilities in a social system. Socialization is the process by which a systems culture and social structure are taught and learned. It is also the process through which social systems shape individuals. Individuals are the people within the social system. Individuals shape the social system through interaction. Interaction is the basic idea that following the social system recreates the system as it is, while deviating from the system causes chaos and provides the potential to change the system.

Symbolic interactionist is a micro level of social analysis, it is concerned with individual experiences and the wider society. As well as not focusing on the core structures or support the general theory of society like the functionalist does.

where they cannot go. Children in a conflict perspective are not treated equal in a large society. Theorist feels the standardized tests are culturally bias because they favor the white students with experiences to answer the correct questions on the test. Children of diverse culture lack the help to conquer the test and trapped in poverty.

Symbolic interaction is the theoretical perspective that introduces the fact that people attribute meanings to different symbols in various aspects of social life (Brym and Lie 2012:6). An interactionist wants to look at why someone will

According to symbolic interaction, people live into two worlds, a symbolic or a natural world. It includes meanings and values by using symbols. These meanings are made from interacting with different people and through these interactions objects, people and situations are given meaning. The meanings associated with objects, people and situations are thereafter internalized and interpreted.

Symbolic interactionism as a term was coined by Herbert Blumer to further develop the theories of George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley. This perspective gives priority to the importance of understanding the meanings of social action. This framework works with the belief that human social behaviour is based on symbolic meanings that are found within a given situation (Tepperman et al., 2013 p.369). Symbolic interactionism, being a form of microsociology, focuses attention on the smallest systems of society, being individual people and their interaction. Symbolic interactionists, like all microsociologists, see society

Everywhere you look in society, people hold different statuses and roles. They exhibit and perform social norms that are considered acceptable in their culture. For instance, think of an American high school classroom. In this classroom, there will be a teacher, most likely one, and a number of students, depending on the size of the school. If the teacher is observed in the classroom, he/she produces an aura of control and authority, while the students contain characteristics of obedience and, more often than not, an attentiveness to learn. The teacher’s roles include being an authority figure and teaching the students about the subject they specialize in, and the student’s roles are to listen to the teacher and do their best to learn from the teacher. These roles are considered norms in American society because children have to be taught how to behave this way. They have to be taught to listen and obey their teacher. Sociology is used to study the different statuses, roles, and norms of groups and the relationships within those groups which are also known as social organizations.