Weekly Research (3): Symbolic Interactionism

Summary:

In essence, the theory suggests that the world is socially constructed and that each individual manages and perceives the world differently based on the meaning they have imposed/ascribed to certain events, objects and behaviours. As such the way that people react to these things are not the things themselves but to the meanings that they have been ascribed.

"Symbolic interactionism presents a commonsensical approach to analyzing how

two parties interpret each other’s actions.” (Baghdadi, L. 2009)

The core themes of Symbolic Interactionism are:

• Humans act toward things based on internalised meanings
• These meanings eventuate from socialisation
• These meanings are handled, modified and interpreted

Some criticisms:

• The theory has been criticised for neglecting the macro level interpretation, or the ‘bigger picture’, with too much emphasis put on micro interactions and its importance.
• Gives too much credence to higher institutions and their influence on the human psyche and thus interactions between them.

This post will be constantly expanded upon (beneath the cut), comment at your leisure.

Notes (potentially useful):I apologise if I am intensely off topic, and if I'm stealing Week 5's topic.

Looking Glass Self: First coined in 1902 by Cooley, in which he states that a person's self eventuates out of interpersonal encounters. In this, a person will shape oneself to perceptions of others, as self-perception is merely internalised external perceptions. The self as a 'social product' perhaps adhere's to the themes of Symbolic Interactionism.

• Prismatic self despite unity
• contextually produced self
• Aiding others in producing and maintaining self in time via socialisation

Interactionist Self and Society:
Disclaimer: Lecture specific information/blatantly reproduced and expanded upon.

• I: immediate, ongoing, subjective experience. Direct interiority.
• Me: mediated, subjective, organised, the others view of oneself. Socialised exteriority.
  (social selves as symbols)

Social communication via symbols, such as gesture (it has its own syntax, grammar and stealth), artifacts, clothing and language (perhaps the largest symbol system).

Anti-positivist 

(expressed to the best of my knowledge).

This was coined by Weber it is an interpretive and highlights importance of subject experience. Essentially eludes to the fact humans aren’t just under the microscope, they maintain a subjective point of view that helps to generate meaning and thus must be studied independently of nature. This being said, it is much akin to if one were to release statistics about humans, for example, "most people prefer strawberry milk", you would more than likely see a shift where this information would be taken onboard and perhaps a preference to chocolate milk would form because humans are self determining. (in no way take this as gospel, though, I might be wrong, I might just like milk examples.)

References/thoughtful reading:
Roberts, B. 2006. Symbolic Interactionism 2 - Developments
Baghdadi, L. 2009, Symbolic interactionism: The role of interaction in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Georgetown University.