Sociological Theory Of Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic Interactionism is the theory that society is possible because of the shared meanings and social patterns created during social interactions. For example, an individual might give a as either a friendly welcome or casual good-bye, depending on

There are four major theories behind the theoretical framework within this module. Those four theories are Structural functionalism, Conflict theory, Social construction, and Symbolic interactionism. These four theories plays a crucial role in the medical system and are seen within Anne Fadiman’s novel The Spirit Catches and You Fall Down.

The sociological imagination can be used to explain why people continue to smoke despite being aware of the health risks involved. The Sociological imagination is the shift from viewing social issues and diseases through a personal perspective to considering all the social factors that influence and shape the social issues and diseases within our lives. (Gilbert, Selikow, & Walker, 2010) A social issue that is largely influenced by society is smoking, because studies that will be discussed later show that stress and a person’s economic position are some of the contributing factors to smoking, which are both influenced by society. Smoking can be studied in relation to the psychosocio-enviromental model. This model views health and illnesses within a social context, where it seeks to create an understanding of the onset of the disease, illness or behaviour. This model also emphasises the “promotion and maintenance of health through the socio-environmental and behavioural changes.” (Gilbert, Selikow, & Walker, 2010)

The Symbolic Interactionism Theory focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society as well as the meaning given to objects through day-to-day interactions. Symbols and the terminology given to the current social problem contributes

The gender wage gap can be explained by the statistic; the female-to-male wage ratio of 2010 was 77% (Ferris & Stein, 2014 pg 255). This means that in 2010, the average female made 23% less in yearly earnings compared to men. Ethnicity can also be included to explain the wage gap. This can be explained by the statistic; Asian males make the most money compared to all other racial groups (Median, 2012). The symbolic interactionism view on gender can be explained as “Gender is learned through the process of socialization; gender inequalities are reproduced through interactions with family, peers, schools, and the media” (Ferris & Stein, 2014 pg 247). This theory “Sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are

Behind the Swoosh is a documentary about sweatshop labor. As a class we watched the documentary and as I learned more about how Nike was running their business; I felt bad for the people that were working. I could not believe that those people were working hard making that company so much money and was getting nothing in return. Then again, I really was not shocked because I know that they are people that put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into a company and do not make enough money.

In this essay, I will discuss the key premises of symbolic interaction as well as consider the ways in which symbolic interaction promotes the view that people have agency. I will then put forth the argument that conflict theorists make with respect to schools reproducing the culture of the dominant class. In relation, I will mention in what ways this perspective promotes the view that people are constrained by social structure. Finally, I will discuss the dialectical relationship between structure and agency

Symbolic interactionism is the idea that people grow and develop through social interactions. For example, Gordie had recently lost his brother, Denny and Gordie’s father was making him feel unwanted by blaming him for the loss. In the movie the boys carried a gun for protection. When they found the body, an older group of boys came and were trying to take the body by threatening the younger boys, but Gordie picks up the gun and points it at one of the older boys and tell them that they need to leave them and the body alone. The older boys left and nothing happened, but this scene showed the change that Gordie had made because he had the courage to stand up the the older

Gary Leon Ridgway began killing women in 1982 and was caught in 2001. He was convicted of killing at least 48 women in Washington state. He was born on February 18th 1949, in Salt Lake City Utah. He held a job painting trucks for 30 years. He was married three different times. Gary was raised near seattle’s pacific highway, a deprived neighborhood near seatac airport, Ridgway was a poor student and was sent to vietnam after high school. When he returned, he was fanatical about religion, Ridgway was also a frequent customer of prostitutes. He was convicted when the DNA test revealed a match.

The application is that it looks at how people interact with others and how people develop meanings in private relationships. The people that developed this idea are George Herberd Merd, and Herbert Blumer. An assumption for this is that human beings have the capacity to alter the meaning they give their life experiences when they find themselves in different situations. In the address President Trump spoke a lot about the tragedies that many have faced. One being the man named Ji Seong-ho, changed the meaning of his life when he made it to The States. Another example of this is when two teenaged girls who were best friends were murdered in Detroit by gang members, the parents of these girls had to alter the meaning of their lives due to this horrendous life experience. This assumption leads to the assumptions that human beings have the capacity for thought and that the capacity for thought are developed by interacting with others. Unlike structured functionalism and social conflict, one of symbolic interactionalism’s limitations is that it focuses too much on the micro picture and not the macro. It also does not pay attention to power

The subtle but accepted social norms can be categorised neatly into two categories; folkways and mores. While both of these are informal social rules; folkways carry almost no punishment, although, mores are rules that when broken reap heavy consequences. The study of social norms is best done under the symbolic interactionalism lens. Symbolic interactionalism allows us to look at society on a micro level, meaning, we are able to focus on individuals, particularly, emphasizing verbal and physical gestures and how we interpret them.

Throughout history, the relation of individuals to society and vice versa has been a puzzling conundrum. Humans generally tend to understand their own experiences and lives through an individualistic outlook in which society is simply a collection of individuals. However, C. Wright Mills and Allan Johnson disagree and relate the significance of a “sociological imagination” in relating one’s experiences to a greater social context.

The theory states that social influences shape individual behavior and social integration is maintained from sharing experiences with others. An

This applies in a case where individuals, organizations, or nations meet or interact in one way or another as a process to develop a symbol of their interaction. In the Merchant of Cool, the youths are seen hanging out and interacting in different occasions and places. The primary ways which youths socially interact include; games, parties, celebrations, academic institutions and working places. In this case, the symbolic interaction theory is relevant for this film when trying to understand how youth socialize. The teens form a group and diverse social structure that can only be characterized into what they do, what they eat, what the wear, what they have and what they watch. From this film you learn that almost seventy-five percent of adolescences have similar views about different things that going on with

The two sociological perspectives that I will be writing about are conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. There are two conflict theories of a social problem Marxist Conflict theory and Non-Marxist Conflict theory. The importance of using social perspective when studying the Marxist and Non-Marxist conflict theories allows individuals a better understanding of the conflicts we face in average life such as class inequality, alienation, and conflicts in competing values in social groups. As for symbolic interactionism, a social problem is created through social interaction from definitions and labels individuals place on particular things. The three theories that compose symbolic interactionism is the making and the action of social problems in society. These two perspectives are different from one another because, symbolic interactionism is the birth of a social problem as for conflict theory this is the result of a social problem effecting society. One illustration that will reflect on both perspectives is inequality in the work place between male and female. Symbolic interactionism starts by the males talking about how male is better than women in the workplace, which leads to other males being influenced by the spark of the problem. This then leads to Marxist which to inequalities in the workplace and coordinated with Non-Marxist which alienates women to feel powerless and meanness in the atmosphere of the workplace.