Symbolic Interactionism Haley Hutton Nick Larsen Soc 401.
-
Upload
duane-roberts -
Category
Documents
-
view
226 -
download
1
Transcript of Symbolic Interactionism Haley Hutton Nick Larsen Soc 401.
Symbolic Interactionism
Haley HuttonNick Larsen
Soc 401
•Term "Symbolic Interactionism" coined by Herbert Blumero Wanted to clarify how social psych. was
largely interested in the social development of the individual
o Central task is to study how individuals develop socially as a result of participating in group life
o Focuses on issue of "self" and small group interactions
Background
•Charles Darwin's Evolution o Led Symbolic Interactionists to believe
behavior is not accidental, but formed by interaction with others in social environments
•Scottish Moralistso Believed "mind" and "self" were social
products of individuals actions with others
Intellectual Influences
•German Idealismo Humans construct their own realities
All consciousness is conscious of something, therefore the subject and object are inevitably related
•Pragmatismo One "true reality" does not existo Reality is actively created by human
beingso The meaning placed depends on the
purpose of the act, context in which it's performed, and the reaction of others to the act
Intellectual Influences cont.
•Behaviorismo Need to find as simple an approach to
the study of the experience of individuals from the point of view of their conduct
Intellectual Influences cont.
•Based on the idea that social reality is constructed in each human interaction through the use of symbols - words, gestures, and communicating through language
•Studying social interaction is key to understanding human behavior
•Ability of actors to modify their behaviors to meet the needs of the present and immediate environment
What is Symbolic Interactionism?
•Canadian-born sociologist and writer
o The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959)
•Heavily Influenced by Durkheim, Freud, Mead, Simmel
Erving Goffman (1922-1982)
•Presentation of Selfo Focus on the individual as active and
reflectiveo Individual determines how the self
should be presented in social situationso Society is viewed as a stage, and
humans are actors performing for audiences
Erving Goffman cont.
•Stigma
o Mark of disgrace or dishonoro Person lacks social acceptance and
their self identity is negatively affected by the label Example: Arabs & Muslims after 9/11
Erving Goffman cont.
Symbolic Interactionist and Social Researcher
•Played pro football while getting his doctorate!
•Huge proponent of Mead, and believed the creation of realityis a continuous process
•"Humans act toward things on the basics of meanings"
Herbert Blumer (1900-1987)
•Naturalistic Approach - Study of conduct and group life, as these occur naturally in the everyday existence of people.
•Need for exploratory studies...o A great deal of human group life is hidden
from immediate noticeo Social scientists generally do not have first
hand, intimate familiarity with the group life they propose to study
o Focuses on the importance of in-depth knowledge of the group using interviews and observations, and steering away from vagueness when defining concepts
Herbert Blumer Methodology
•American sociologisto Bachelors, Masters and PH.D from
Berkley The Unexpected Community - 1973 The Managed Heart - 1983 The Time Bind: When work becomes home
and home becomes work - 1997
•Founder of the sociology of emotions•Emotions are a biologically given
senseo Means by which we know about our
relation to the worldo Critical for survival of humans in group
life
Arlie Russell Hochschild
•Emotion Worko Trying to change, in degree or quality,
an emotion or feeling
•Emotion Cultureo Consists of a series of ideas about how and what
people are supposed to experience in given situations
o Individuals are often put in situations where emotion work needs to be performed
o Culture is filled with ideologies about the behaviors, attitudes and feelings that members should share
Arlie Russell Hochschild cont
•Overly committed the study of everyday life and social formation of the self, while ignoring social structure
•Overlooked class relations and constraints in favor of a more optimistic view of an open society
Criticism of Symbolic Interactionism