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Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic Interactionism. symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviors

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Symbolic Interactionism

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  1. Symbolic Interactionism • symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction • subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviors • “definition of the situation” is what people use to know what is expected of them and what is expected of others in a situation

  2. I vs. ME • “I” is the spontaneous part of self • Less concerned with what other people think • “Me” is the more socially aware part of self • More socially aware & conscious of symbols • No “me” at birth, it develops through interaction Example: 4 year old child in grocery store turns to another customer and says loudly, “You are really fat!” The child’s parent is absolutely mortified and looks apologetically at the other customers. The 4 year old is unaffected. Imagine if the 4 year old were 40. How do you think the behaviour would be perceived? How do you thikn other customers in the store would describe that person?

  3. Looking Glass Self Image from Wikipedia

  4. Charles Cooley, 1902 Looking Glass Self • We imagine how others see us. • We imagine how others judge us. • We develop our sense of self according to these perceptions.

  5. A good example of the looking glass self is a person trying on clothes before going out with friends. Some people may not think much about how others will think about their clothing choices, but others can spend quite a bit of time considering what they are going to wear. While they are deciding, the dialogue taking place inside their mind is usually a dialogue between their "self" (that portion of their identity that calls itself "I") and that person's internalized understanding of their friends and society (a "generalized other"). An indicator of mature socialization is when an individual quite accurately predicts how other people think about him or her. Such an individual has incorporated the "social" into the "self."

  6. Applying the Symbolic Interactionist Approach • Concepts of self and identity are socially constructed • Consider gender roles—how are gender roles learned, reinforced and reproduced?

  7. Another example of SIInterpersonal Communication A boy (Jeremy) and a girl (Kim) broke up last year. When Jeremy received an email from Kim to go out he agreed and they went to a bar. Jeremy had a different kind of meaning though in comparison with Kim. Jeremy went out as friends, where Kim went out as with the meaning of ‘potential boyfriend’. Also in the communication the language was misunderstood. Kim wanted to have a romantic night, while Jeremy wanted to have a talk in a bar. This is also caused by the nonverbal element of emails. The third miscommunication is under thought. When Jeremy replied so fast Kim thought that they were going out to a romantic place. Jeremy went out just as ‘friends’. They both used an internal dialogue to interpret the situation and to create a perception of the evening. University of Twente

  8. Class Activity video • In small groups, select any social issue presented in the video and examine it from an SI perspective. • Remember that the foundation for SI is the symbols, meaning, perception and interaction. • Consider how we learn to negotiate these various symbols and meanings (culture, socialization, media, education et.)

  9. Limitations of SI • Qualitative in nature so it is difficult to measure • Criticised for being too focused on small groups, it cannot explain larger social issues and social change

  10. Feminist Perspective: Power & Gender • contemporary sociological perspective • analyzes the status of women and men in society • three waves of feminism: • first wave focused on suffrage and political rights • second focused on social inequality between the genders • third wave emphasizes the concepts of globalization, postcolonialism, post-structuralism, and postmodernism.

  11. Key Aspects of Feminist Perspective • Gender Differences • Values associated with being a woman in society • Sexual division of labour in home and workplace • Objectification of women • Gender Inequality • Patriarchal society has limited participation of women in “public sphere” • Expectation of managing household and child rearing

  12. Key Aspects of Feminist Perspective • Gender Oppression • Women are actively subordinated or oppressed by men • Systemic patterns of domestic violence • Structural Oppression • Patriarchal capitalism exploits women, maintains their subordinate role • Systems are designed to ensure male superiority

  13. Postmodernism

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