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Social action - symbolic interactionism - Coggle Diagram
Social action - symbolic interactionism
Symbolic interactionism
Mead and Blumer disagreed that humans are controlled by social structures, unlike functionalism and marxism
Bottom up approach
The symbol
For example, red on a traffic light means stop, and green means go
Share responses to these symbols, which help to shape society
Humans respond to symbols and the meanings we apply to those symbols shape society
For example, a cross means religion for Christians, but for everyone else, it is just another symbol
Symbol - a group of phenomena that causes a feeling within us
Meanings may not be shared be everyone
Mead
Stimulus - original symbol that is given (eg. 2 fingers)
Interpretive phase - interpret these stimuli (eg, swearing or peace sign, different interpretations
Animals respond to stimulii in an automatic way, whereashumans interpresy its meanings
Humans respond to the world by giving meaning to things, thus we inhabit a world of meanings, attaching symbols to the world
Response - individuals respond to their situation of the symbol
Unlike animals, out behaviour is not shaped by fixed, pre-programmed instincts
In order to interpret meanings, we take on the role of the other - trying to see ourselves as others do, which develops through interaction
Mead - the 'I' and the 'Me'
'I' wants to wear a dress as a male, but may stop this due to social approval
'Me' - shaped by individuals CAGE factors and due to social situations
'Me' - socialised aspect of the individual, based on interactions
The 'I' is trying to bend the rules that the 'me' set, but the 'me' prevents the 'I' from breaking the rulrd out of regulatrity
'Our opinion of ourselves that is shaped by the 'Me'
'I' is constantly being creative and expressive in how to get around those rules
Cooley - looking glass self
For example, if the person has a RBF
Not due to labelling, but based on interaction, which can change per person and adapt to the social situation
Individual's interpretation of themselves is based on interactions they have with others, and may view themselves as a nice person, but society views as bad, they will conform
Blumer
Scope for confusion and error, as they may read the rules or symbol wrong
Suggests that we develop the notion of our self in childhood and playing games, as we engage in the game with others and learn various roles and how to interact
We have to read the meaning of a situation
3 stages of interaction - meaning, language, and thought
Each person must learn to take the viewpoint of other people into account
Meaning - meaning an individual attaches to phenomena
For an individual to know how to respond to the symbols and for them to have meaning to them, then they must know their role in society
Language - negotiate meaning through language, identifying meaning in speech and understanding
Goffman - dramaturgical analogy
There is no true self, as we are constantly changing roles in society towards different people
Constantly engaging in impression management, manipulating other individuals
We are alla ctoirs, acting out scripts, using props, resting backstage between performances
For example, a teacher puts on this role at school, and they have freedom to play this role (costume / uniform)
Society is like a stage with people acting out performances
Evaluation (AO3)
Post modernism is a metanarrative in itself
Doesn't explain group behaviour - psycholgical approach by looking at every individual
High in validity and verstehen - understand meanings and experience through interpretivist research methods, providing deeper understanding and insight
Ignoring sociological explanations for group behaviour, for example structure of education, learnt norms and values
Insight into the consequences of interactions (labelling and how these consequences and labels are socially constructed)
Ignores wider social constraints and social structures that impact human behaviour
Recognises individual motives and overcomes determinism, as structures don't determine our life chances and choices
No real explanation of where comprehension of the symbols are from in the first place
Small scale individual interactions are explained
Ignores power inequalities in society (eg. Marxism and Feminism - not everyone, such as W/C and women, has equal access to free will
There is a true self, and we are not constantly preparing for the next role - 'I' and 'Me' (Mead), 'thought' (Blumer), looking glass self (Cooley)
No explanation of power differences between people - some interactions are not completely fair - police and criminal, as criminal cannot negotiate thought / meaning
Labelling theories
Becker
The labelled group / individual is treated differently by others in society
The individual begins to see themselves as different and begins to associate themselves with others that share a similar label
Someone in society with power applies a label to a group / individual as deviant
The individual then becomes the label
Social action theory
Young
Police action against marijuana users, making them feel different and they unite together
Marijuana users retreat into small groups
Label the hippies as lazy, dirty, drug addicts
Deviant norms and values develop, growing hair long, drug taking becoming a central part of their identity