Symbolic Interactionism

Theory

Submitted by:

Julius Ezekeil D. Dabon

Submitted to:

Ms. Katrina Sotes

 Symbolic interaction theories focus on the interpretation (social meaning) that is
given to behaviour, and on the way such interpretation helps to construct the social
world, the identities of people, and, ultimately how they behave. All interaction theories
are concerned with the way in which meaning is constructed. There are 7 Basic
Principles and Assumption of Symbolic Interaction Theories. First, humans have
capacity for thought; thought is shaped by social interaction; through interaction, people
learn symbols and meanings that allow them to think; meanings and symbols allow for
human action. people can interpret a situation and modify their action or interaction;
people can create own meanings; and groups and societies are made up of patterns of
action and interaction.

The first proponent of the Symbolic Interaction Theory is W.I. Thomas (1863)
who said that, If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences…”
Another proponent is named after Charles Horton Cooley (1864) whose idea focuses on
the our identity as a “Looking Glass Self”. He said Identity consists of three elements:
first is how actors imagine they appear; second is how actors belief others judge their
appearance; and third is how actors develop feelings of shame or pride, feelings that
become an inner guide to behaviour. He also added that, “The social self was the cause
of social behaviour.” And the last who is the “main proponent” of this theory is George
Herbert Mead (1870) whose main ideas are first “The social self is composed of an
active “I” that is independent of particular situations and a receptive “Me” that is situated
and responsive; and “The shape of “Me” is composed of the messages we receive by
using others as mirrors of tkhe self.” After Mead’s death in 1931 his students at the
University published his Mind, Self, and Society teachings. Herbert Blumer, Mead’s
pupil, further developed his theory and coined it “Symbolic Interactionism. This theory is
the process of interaction in the formation of meanings for individuals. In simple form,
people act based on symbolic meanings they find within a given situation. The goals of
our interactions are to create a shared meaning. Herbert Blumer came up with three
basic principles for his theory. Meaning, Language, and Thought. These three principles
lead to conclusions about the creation of a persons self and socialization into a larger
community. The 1st Principle is “Meaning”. Meaning is “Making is a community project”
Meaning is something that has to be assigned and who assigns it? The definition of this
word states that it is a intention for a particular purpose or destination. Blumer says that
the principle of meaning is central in human behavior. Meaning is based on human
interaction and how we act towards other people. We as humans, base things upon the
meanings that they have been given. An example would be me saying, “Hey you look
great, have you lost a lot of weight?” This statement could be taken a lot of different
ways. Perhaps the person that I said this to takes it in the way of a compliment, (Which
is what I was giving them) or a negative remark. The meaning that we assign to the
statement is how we react to people and what they say. This theory tells us that its how
people interpret messages and statements. Each one of us has a different meaning
assigned to different things. To us humans the word “grass” is something that can be
defined as green, or something needed to be cut. To animals, the word “grass” could
mean shelter or food. Now in the case of symbols, meanings also depend on the
number of consensual responses of those who use it. If someone uses a particular word
such as hey, to those that use it a lot, it means hello. Now for those people that are
ambiguous to it, it could mean a totally different thing to them. The 2nd Principle is
“Language”. Language is the “Symbolic naming for the human society”. Language gives
humans a means by which to negotiate meaning through symbols. Mead believed that
when you named something, it is assigned a meaning. An example of this would be me
naming my dog Lucifer. The meaning of this name would be the devil, because maybe
the dog is extremely mean or bites people all of the time. In simple terms, this principle
says that when we talk to each other, symbolic interaction means that humans identify
meaning, or naming, and then they develop discourse, which is communication orally.
The 3rd Principle is “Thought” Thought is the “Interpretation of symbols”. Thought is
based on language. While in a conversation, your mind is imagining or thinking about
the different points of view or meanings to what the other person is saying to you. What
this means is that once your hear someone say something, you automatically start
thinking about what you are going to say next. Mead believes that “We naturally talk to
ourselves in order to sort out the meaning of a difficult situation.” Whatever you think of
before acting to an action or responding to a phrase is your thought. We do this all the
time without knowing or realizing it. It is your own personal meaning that you put on
words. George Herbert Mead was a professor whose teachings were transformed into a
theory that is well known and taught throughout the world. Symbolic Interactionism has
only one variable in it. The individual has its own set of meanings for things and people.
A problem with this theory is that it does not state whether or not an individual wants to
win and get their own way or not. Sometimes we think that people can also construct a
sample and ask someone if they should have a certain meaning for this and a meaning
for that. This theory doesn’t tell you if you think this way because a person told you to or
if you think a certain way because you feel that you need to. George Herbert Mead died
in 1931. Although he never got around to publishing his own teachings, he still is
considered to be one of the top sociological theorists that have ever walked this earth.

Other theories related to Symbolic Interaction theory is the “Dramaturgical

Theory” which makes use of concepts that parallel those of stage performances: roles,
props, scenes, etc. Also in this theory, it is said that people project images of
themselves on the social stage to be seen in particular ways and to achieve particular
ends. There are advantages and disadvantages of using the Symbolic Interaction
Theory as our basis of the behavior and changes in our society. Let us focus first on the
advantages. First, it focuses on the individuals rather that categorising us into groups of
society. Second, it allows us to compare the way we act with different people and third,
it helps us understand the social construction of the world. The disadvantages in the
other hand are: They don't take into consideration every individual. Some people are
unable to make choices and have little free will; we don't get to choose consequences
for actions; we underestimates the power of structure. This theory is applicable in the
poverty situation here in the Philippines. This theory allows individual Filipinos to have a
freedom of choice and action whether what economic status they are, in a democratic
society like in here in the Philippines. This theory also self-motivates each Filipinos to
be morally responsible rather than externally-motivated by the law of the land.

References:
Satalkar, B. (2010, July 15). Symbolic Interactionism Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com

Cain, K. (2012, June 29). Effects on Symbolic Interactionism in the Philippines Today RSS.
Retrieved from http://phillifetoday.com