SYMBOLIC

INTERACTIONISM
“MAN LIVES IN A WORLD OF MEANING”
- GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

The symbolic interaction perspective, also

called symbolic interactionism, is a major
framework of sociological theory. This
perspective relies on the symbolic
meaning that people develop and rely
upon in the process of social interaction.
DEFINITIONS
 Symbolic interaction theory analyzes society by
addressing the subjective meanings that people
impose on objects, events, and behaviors.
Subjective meanings are given primacy because it
is believe that people behave based on what they
believe and not just on what is objectively true.
 Symbolic interactionism looks at
individual and group meaning-making,
focusing on human action instead of
large-scale social structures.
 GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
Pioneered the development of symbolic
interaction perspective
He is the one who argued that “people’s
selves are social products, but that these
selves are also purposive and creative.”
The Three Basic Premises
Herbert Blumer (1969) set out three basic premises of the
perspective:
 “Humans act toward things on the basis of the meanings they
ascribe to those things.”
 “The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of,
the social interaction that one has with others and the society.”
 “These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an
interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the
things he/she encounters.”
The First premise:
“Humans act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things.”

Includes everything that a human being may

note in their world, including physical objects,
actions and concepts. Essentially, individuals
behave towards objects and others based on
the personal meanings that the individuals has
already given these items.
 The second premise:
“The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that
one has with others and the society.”

Arises out of, the social

interaction that one has with
other humans. People interact
with each other by interpreting
or defining each other’s actions
instead of merely reacting to
each other’s actions.
 The third premise:
“These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by
the person in dealing with the things he/she encounters.

 We naturally talk to ourselves in order to

sort out the meaning of a difficult situation.
But first, we need language. Before we can
think, we must be able to interact
symbolically. Emphasis on symbols,
negotiated meaning, and social construction
of society brought on attention to the roles
people play.
 Key points:
 Symbolicinteraction has roots in
phenomenology, which
emphasizes the subjective
meaning of reality.
 Symbolic interactionism proposes
a social theory of the self, or a
looking glass self.
 Key points:
 Symbolicinteractionists study meaning and
communication, they tend to use qualitative
methods.
 Symbolic interactionism has been criticized for
failing to take into account large-scale macro
social structures and forces.
 Example :
 Studies find that teenagers are well
informed about the risks of tobacco,
but they also think that smoking is
cool, that they themselves will be safe
from harm, and that smoking projects
a positive image to their peers. So, the
symbolic meaning of smoking
overrides that actual facts regarding
smoking and risk.