Sociolo
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism
● The symbols of use; the language that representation that we use affect us in
some ways
● As humans we are constantly contraction with symbols of own creation it
○ Affect the way we act, and see the world
1. Focuses on interpersonal communication in micro level social settings
➔ How people interact at a personal level using symbols, right language, etc. in their
environment
2. Emphasizes social life is possible only because people attach meaning to things
3. IMPORTANT: Stresses that people help to create their social circumstances, not only
reacting to them
➔ Core of symbolic interactionism and constructionism
➔ Peter burger- human interaction with symbols is like a 2 step process; born into
society with set of system (indoctrinated) but we are not bound by them
(otherwise society will not change)
◆ Things can be redefined morality, rules blah blah
4. Increase our understanding and tolerance of people who may be different from us
➔ Increase understanding other people see the world and construct reality
● Focused on understanding people’s motives and the meaning they attach to
things in order to better understand the significance of their actions
Max W eber & Protestant ethic
- the belief that religious doubts can be reduced and state of grace ensured
○ Only when people work diligently and live ascetically
Max weber: after the reformation, calvinism (type of christianity) predestination, scared that
there was no seat in heaven and wanted to be saved
○ Contributing to their work= going to heaven
■ Unintended effect of increasing savings and investment =>
stimulates capitalist growth
● Focused on the rise of capitalism, looking back on the beginning of capitalist
country were so much more successful than the catholic
, George Herbert Mead
● believed that an individual’s sense of self is formed in the course of interaction with
other people
● We learn who we are by taking the role of other people as we interact with them and
seeing ourselves as they see us
● Very unstable, can be easily undefined
Erving Goffman
● people present themselves to others in everyday life so as to appear in the best possible
light
● Compared social interaction to a carefully staged play, complete with front stage, back
stage and defined roles and wide range of props
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM
● A variant of symbolic interactionism, like a subcategory of social interactionism
● Argues that when people interact, they typically assume things are naturally or innately
what they seem to be
○ innate= set in stone, originally, natural
● Suggest apparently natural or innate features of life are sustained by social processes
that vary and depend historically and culturally
● We are in a society where we are shaped by a set of existing social category that we
often treat as innate/ unchangeable
○ But is it changeable, just see if anyone changes it
● EXAMPLE: gender roles are often thought to be biologically determined but now it
argues that distinction are principally based on power distribution and ideas are broadly
accepted
Queer Theory
● Denies the existence of stable identities.
● Queer theory has very strong components of both social constructionism and post-
structuralism
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism
● The symbols of use; the language that representation that we use affect us in
some ways
● As humans we are constantly contraction with symbols of own creation it
○ Affect the way we act, and see the world
1. Focuses on interpersonal communication in micro level social settings
➔ How people interact at a personal level using symbols, right language, etc. in their
environment
2. Emphasizes social life is possible only because people attach meaning to things
3. IMPORTANT: Stresses that people help to create their social circumstances, not only
reacting to them
➔ Core of symbolic interactionism and constructionism
➔ Peter burger- human interaction with symbols is like a 2 step process; born into
society with set of system (indoctrinated) but we are not bound by them
(otherwise society will not change)
◆ Things can be redefined morality, rules blah blah
4. Increase our understanding and tolerance of people who may be different from us
➔ Increase understanding other people see the world and construct reality
● Focused on understanding people’s motives and the meaning they attach to
things in order to better understand the significance of their actions
Max W eber & Protestant ethic
- the belief that religious doubts can be reduced and state of grace ensured
○ Only when people work diligently and live ascetically
Max weber: after the reformation, calvinism (type of christianity) predestination, scared that
there was no seat in heaven and wanted to be saved
○ Contributing to their work= going to heaven
■ Unintended effect of increasing savings and investment =>
stimulates capitalist growth
● Focused on the rise of capitalism, looking back on the beginning of capitalist
country were so much more successful than the catholic
, George Herbert Mead
● believed that an individual’s sense of self is formed in the course of interaction with
other people
● We learn who we are by taking the role of other people as we interact with them and
seeing ourselves as they see us
● Very unstable, can be easily undefined
Erving Goffman
● people present themselves to others in everyday life so as to appear in the best possible
light
● Compared social interaction to a carefully staged play, complete with front stage, back
stage and defined roles and wide range of props
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM
● A variant of symbolic interactionism, like a subcategory of social interactionism
● Argues that when people interact, they typically assume things are naturally or innately
what they seem to be
○ innate= set in stone, originally, natural
● Suggest apparently natural or innate features of life are sustained by social processes
that vary and depend historically and culturally
● We are in a society where we are shaped by a set of existing social category that we
often treat as innate/ unchangeable
○ But is it changeable, just see if anyone changes it
● EXAMPLE: gender roles are often thought to be biologically determined but now it
argues that distinction are principally based on power distribution and ideas are broadly
accepted
Queer Theory
● Denies the existence of stable identities.
● Queer theory has very strong components of both social constructionism and post-
structuralism
