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SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM - Coggle Diagram
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
key thinkers - MEAD, BLUMER, COOLEY AND GOFFMAN
symbol VS instinct
INSTINCT - responding to stimulus in an automatic, pre-programmed way
SYMBOL - the words, objects, expressions and gestures that an individual attaches meaning to
e.g. the shaking of a fist can mean many things
INTERPRETIVE PHASE - the process between experiencing the stimulus and reacting to it, where the situation is interpreted in order to choose the appropriate response
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key principals of symbolic interactionism
thinker - BLUMER
1) our actions are based on the meanings we give to the situations, events and people
2) these meanings are based on the interactions we have experienced and are not fixed but are negotiable and fluid ti some extend
3) the meaning we give to situations are the result of interpretive procedures we use such as taking on the role of others
labelling theory
definition of the situation - WI THOMAS
- the definition of something is its label therefor people label situations, events and people which can have real world consequences
looking glass self - COOLEY
- the way that we develop our self-concept
- self fulfilling prophecy - we become what others see us as
career - BECKER AND LEMERT
- the process of labelling, from identification, to the label being attached, acceptance or rejection of the label by the labelled, to the creation of a master status
- each stage has its own set of problems and issues
dramaturgical model
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presentation of self
- front stage self - the act we put on for other people - the front stage is where we spend most of our lives
- back stage - the private stage where e can truly be ourselves and prepare to return to the front stage
impression management
- the use of language, gestures, body language and props to help us pass for the type of person that we want the audience to see
- this process requires us to constantly read the audiences responses to us and adjust our performance accordingly
roles
- there is a gap between who we really are and the roles we play - 'role distance'
- roles are loosely scripted by society so we have the freedom to choose how we play them
EVALUATION
- ehtnomethodology argues that although it is correct to focus on interactions - symbolic interactionism fails to explain who the actor create the meanings
- not all action is meaningful, especially Weber's idea of traditional actions which may hold little meaning for the actor
- fails to explain the origin of labels or the consistent patterns that we see in peoples behaviour
- it is more a loose group of descriptive concepts than an explanatory theory
- dramaturgical analogy has its limitation as everyone plays both roles of actor and audience and interactions are often improvised and unrehearsed