12.1 Symbolic Interactionism

 


1. summary

Symbolic Interactionism is a sociological theory that assuming there is a "the shared understanding and interpretations" made by people's communicating process this things are getting recreate by the interpretation. This is how they think that society maintain and recreate. So the society is made both natural and "symbolic" elements. Symbolic Interactionism is import theory in the micro sociology and social psychology.

George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer and many other sociologists contributed to the development of Symbolic Interactionism. According to the book<Mind, Self and Society> written by Mead's students by talks with him when he was alive Mead use 3 terms. The Mind is the ability to use symbols to create the concepts and the meanings, The Self is how the individual react what he is being potrayed in the society and The society is the mixture of all of this. Herbert Blumer was a student of the Mead and he is called as the founder of Symbolic Interaction. He said that human groups are only made by humans and their effort to make meanings about the society. 

There are three assumptions that constitute the theory.  

1. Individuals construct meaning via the communication process. 

2. Self-concept is a motivation for behavior.

3. A unique relationship exists between the individual and society.

And there are 5 hypothesis that Blumer have made from the three assumptions.

1. Human act by meanings

2. Meanings are from the social interaction

3. Meanings can be modified by the interpretive process such as social roles

4. Humans are motivated to interact with others to receive the psychological rewards

Symbolic Interactionist mostly use the qualitative research like observing the humans.

2. Discussion

I recently saw the video that balkan(southern europe) muslims drink alcohol and sometimes eat the pork that islam normally forbids. I wonder how Symbolic Interactionist would analyze this social phenomena. Will they argue that muslims in balkan somehow decided that drinking alcohol and eating pork is ok? I think that deep social phenoma related with complex historical and socioeconomic factor should be analyze by more deep understanding beyond symbolic interactionism. 


3. Questions

There is a criticism that Symbolic Interactionism focus on psychological rather than Sociological factors so it has a limitation because human emotions are very flexible thing what do you think about it? 

What is the important social meanings in korea?

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