society is like: a human body (functionalism) a league table (marxism) a play (interactionism) a...
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Interactionism
Society Is Like:
A Human Body (Functionalism)
A League Table (Marxism)
A Play (Interactionism)
A League Table (Feminism)
A Theme Park (Post-Modernism)
In sociology, interactionism is a theoretical perspective that derives social processes (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) from human interaction. It is the study of individuals and how they act within society.
Interactionism: “A theoretical position assuming that the individual is not only influenced by his/her environment, but that s/he also influences his/her environment. The emphasis is on the person taking an active, or constructive, part in his/her development.”
KeywordsSocial ActionsFor social interactionists, people negotiate their social world by adapting to different situations. These situations are largely considered to be the result of actions taken by others. InteractionInteractions take place between two or more individuals, and include all uses of language, exchange, confrontation and working with others. The goal of all such interactions is communication and meaning making. SymbolsIndividuals interpret social actions symbolically to give meaning to their interactions. The meaning of these symbols is itself a matter of social construction.Social ProcessSocial interactionists think of social organization as the result of continually changing social processes. Social interactionists think that social factors are constantly in flux as actors adapt to changing circumstances and relationships. They are opposed to functionalists, who think that social structures tend towards stability and consistency.DramaturgySocial interactionists observe how people both create and enact roles in order to negotiate their social situations in a process called dramaturgy, in much the same way stage actors play roles on a stage. Social roles are themselves considered a kind of symbol which individuals act out in accord with their situation.
Keynotes of Interactionism
Micro-Emphasizes individuals
Focus on subjective aspects of social life
Studies communication between individuals and groups
Communicates with symbols which are meaningful
Deviance and individual differences are more tolerated
For social interactionists, people negotiate their social
world by adapting to different situations.
Interactionism is normally considered to consist of three possible variations:
Symbolic Interaction
Phenomenology
Ethnomethodology
Symbolic InteractionSymbolic interactionism, or interactionism for short, is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. This perspective has a long intellectual history, beginning with the German sociologist and economist, Max Weber (1864-1920) and the American philosopher, George H. Mead (1863-1931), both of whom emphasized the subjective meaning of human behavior, the social process, and pragmatism. In symbolic interactionism, humans are portrayed as acting as opposed to being acted upon.
PhenomenologyIn sociology, phenomenology seeks to reveal how human awareness is implicated in the production of social action, social situations and social worlds (Natanson 1970).
Ethnomethodology A branch of the social sciences which is concerned with exploring how people interact with the world and make sense of reality. It is not designed to provide people with judgments on human behavior or its causes, but rather to explain how people interact with each other and with society at large.
The basic ideas that Interactionist sociologists have in common (and which make
them different in many respects to macro perspectives like Functionalism and
Marxist Conflict theories) can be summarised as follows in the next 3 slides:
Interactionist perspectives tend to concentrate on relatively small-scale levels of
social interaction (between individuals, small social groups and so forth) and, for
this reason, they are sometimes referred-to as a "micro level of sociological
analysis".
1. They focus on the way in which individuals (or
"social actors" as Interactionists like to call them) act
(that is, make conscious choices about their behavior
based upon the way they interpret situations) - rather
than simply react to social stimulation.
2. The way in which different social actors interpret
the behavior of others is significant as a means of
understanding the way in which the world is socially
constructed.
This "social construction" of the world is focused upon
the meanings people give to behavior and the way in
which they interpret the meaning of behavior.
3. The social context within which people interact is
significant for both their interpretation of the
behavior of others and the way they themselves
choose to behave at any given time.
Notables in developing Interactionism
• Walter Mischel (1930- )
• Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929)
• George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
• Herbert Blumer (1900-1987)
• Irving (Erving) Goffman (1922-1982)
WALTER MISCHEL: SITUATIONISM
Developed the theory of situationism
(1930- )
“A personality system is characterized by available cognitive and affective units…When certain configurations of situation features are experienced by the individual…, a subset of cognitions and affects become activated.”
Mischel
CHARLES HORTON COOLEY
Noted for concepts:
of “primary group”
the “looking glass self.”(1864-1929)
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
“Father of Symbolic
Interactionism”
Called his approach “social
behaviourism”
“I” = self-conception
“Me” = views of others(1863-1931)
HERBERT BLUMER
Coined the term “symbolic
interaction”
Student of Mead
Interactionism = practical
approach to scientific study of
human conduct
(1900-1987)
IRVING GOFFMAN
The Presentation of Self in
Everyday Life
“The Shakespeare of
Interactionism”
Dramaturgy
(1863-1931)
Interactionists see humans as active, creative participants who construct their social world and
not as passive, conforming objects of socialization.
CHOICE VS. DETERMINISM
Actors produce patterns of interaction Social structure guides human behavior rather
than rigidly determining it
Choice DeterminismINTERACTIONISM
LIMITATIONS OF INTERACTIONISM Theory is vague
hard to summarize
Lacks clarity
Differing interpretations different people have attached different meanings to the theory
Some theorists overstate their case as when Mead differentiates humans from other animals
Assessment may be unreliable subjective measures
THANKS
2012/02/28