Herbert Blumer, having coined the term Symbolic Interactionism, is the person who was instrumental in the development of the Symbolic Interactionism perspective. Blumer was a student of George Herbert Mead. More than writing, publishing, and popularizing Mead's ideas, Blumer built on Mead's ideas and further developed. He believed and theorized that "there was more to human behavior than influences on it by outside forces or uncontrollable psychological factors" (Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook). Blumer recognized the three basic principles of Symbolic Interactionism which are meaning, language, and thought.
According to Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook, it was Erving Goffman who expanded the sphere of Symbolic Interactionism. Through his work on the dramaturgical perspective helped expand the realm of Symbolic Interactionism. Erving Goffman's work on the dramaturgical perspective started with the belief that "people seem to follow scripts and play games in interaction" (Canfield). Goffman also stretched Mead's concept of the I and the Me by discussing the anxiety that a social actor experiences "in trying to live up to the expectations of society when enacting the various roles expected of him or her" (Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook). Furthermore, Goffman also theorized that "a person has a right to be treated in accordance with the way he presents himself, ascribing authenticity to that person" (Canfield). To Goffman, "people do not always act sincerely but they act to avoid embarrassment… role expectations and role performances form the basis of society, as do rules, which act as frames for human action" (Canfield). Goffman's work endeavors to illustrate that way interactions and performances form social reality. People's ability to carry out a persuasive performance by making people believe that they are who they say they are is the way to impress themselves and others.
In my opinion, among the theorists who are instrumental in the evolution of the Symbolic Interactionism perspective, it was Herbert Blumer who developed...
Symbolic Interactionism Healthcare sociological theory Symbolic interaction theory: Healthcare (Obesity prevention) Symbolic interaction theory "focuses attention on the way that people interact through symbols: words, gestures, rules, and roles" (Plunkett n.d.). The definition of health is an important component of the cultural language in which we operate. Although our definition of health sometimes seems self-evident, like something unchanging and unwavering across the eras, it is a culturally-constructed notion. This can be seen in
When meanings are shared, they are concordant. However since people may assign different meanings to the same entity, a disconnect can occur that can result in deviant behaviors. Principle 2: Language Language is, of course, at the core of communication, as well as miscommunication. In symbolic interactionism, language acts as a navigation tool that guides individuals through the often meandering conduit of meaning, using language to identify symbolic representation. Principle 3: Thought Thought
Theoretical Treatments of Symbolic Interactionism In order to develop a deeper understanding of sociological theories designed to describe the complexities of the cognitive process, it is essential to identify tangible examples of these as they are manifested in the real world. The concept of symbolic interactionism, while carrying varying connotations depending on the distinct school of sociological thought one embraces, is generally agreed to describe the empirical analysis of three
L. Bean and Lands' End, Victoria's Secret, Christie's and Sotheby's, as well as used books." (Duneier, 1991, p.30) According to the first chapter of Sociology: the Core by Michael Hughes and Carolyn J. Kroehler, symbolic interactionists like Duneier contend that society is possible because human beings have the ability to communicate with one another by means of symbols. They say that we act toward people, objects, and events on the basis
So that an adult who enjoys masturbating while watching a video of two other adults having sex and sees this activity as an acceptable and in fact healthy and joyous celebration of her or his sexuality will in most cases be horrified to see a video in which a child is being forced to have sex or anyone is being raped (Lauer & Lauer, 2007, p. 44). Because an individual's
Sociological There are three main sociological perspectives based on which health care will be discussed in this paper. These perspectives include functionalism, conflict and symbolic interactions. These are the three perspectives that can give a better insight into the healthcare. Functionalism Functionalism is when various units of the society come together and form a single unit in order to perform various functions. Functionalism is defined as the theory of mind in terms of
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