SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM THEORY

INTRODUCTION
Being one of the most commonly used theories, there are many scholars and theorists who
contributed towards the idea of symbolic interactionism. To name a few, George Herbert Mead
and Charles Hortan Cooley originated this theory as key people later inspired by them Herbert
Blumer coined the term and put the theory forward to the world. It has to be noted that Blummer
was greatly influenced by John Dewey (the leader of sociological theory). The basic idea this
theory put forward is that people behave based on the meaning they have given to them.

THEORY
Symbolic Interactionism is the way we learn to interpret and give meaning to the world
through our interactions with others.- Scott Plunkett.
The symbolic interactionism analysis society by the descriptive meanings that people have
given to objects, events and behaviors. The behavioral pattern of the people will be based on
these descriptive meanings because people behave according to their descriptive believes rather
than objective truth. These descriptive believe and meanings are nothing but interpretations
given by the people thus the theory suggest that society is based on the interpretations of the
people. The people interpret each others behavior and a social bond is thus created which is
grounded on this interpretation. These interpretations are often called definition of the
situation because they just define the situations.
This theory says how humans develop a complex set of symbols that gives meaning to the
world in their perspective. The meanings are molded from the interactions with the society.
And these interactions are subjectively interpreted by them to suit the meaning in accordance
with the existing symbols. It can be said that if we need to understand the behavioral patterns
of the society we need to understand the existing symbols. The Interactions which molded the
symbols also create a social structure. The symbolic interactionism also articulates that the
individuals build a sense of self identity through these interactions with the society.

Blummer suggests that there are three core principles of this theory. They are

Meaning

Language

Thought

1.Meaning: It suggests that people act and behave towards the other people and things based
upon the meaning that they have given to them. The principle of meaning is central to the
theory of symbolic interactionism.
Example: when we think of a Buddhist Monk the image comes to our mind. We will have
some assumptions about these people and our behavior towards them will be based on these
assumptions that we have made.

2.Language: The second core principle which makes the symbols and interactions
comprehensible to the mind. And which helps in formulating assumptions. According to the
theory, the naming assigned through the language, the naming creates meanings to everything
because everything has its own name. To name a thing, the knowledge about the thing is
important and thus the name indicates some feature or any other kind of knowledge about the
things. This knowledge is converted into names through languages.
Example: when we say to have dinner outside, the people who listens makes sense of it based
on their perspectives and understanding. When I say dinner outside someone will understand
it as just go out and get something to eat and someone else may think that having dinner outside
as a date.

3.Thought: The third core principle of symbolic interactionism is thought. The thought implies
the interpretations that we have assigned to the symbols. The basis of thought is language. It is
a process of mentally conversing about the meanings, names and symbols. The thought
includes the imagination. Which have the power to provide an idea even about an unknown
thing based on known knowledge.
Example: The best example of thought is to think

An executive tells three employees, Prepare for a big meeting this afternoon. The first
employee responds to the request by finishing an important report she thinks her boss will ask
to see. The second employee reviews the minutes from the previous meeting and makes a list
of potential topics to discuss. The third employee clears his afternoon schedule and spends a
few minutes mentally readying himself to receive important information. At meeting time,
however, the executive is upset; he wanted the employees to prepare by arranging the
conference room and making copies of the meetings agenda for the other attendees. How could
four people interpret a seven-word statement in so many different ways?
Symbolic interactionism attempts to explain such differences in message interpretation as it
analyzes how people attach various meanings to words and symbols. Though Herbert Blumer
named the theory in 1969, the theorys concepts were outlined decades earlier by sociologists
George Herbert Mead and Max Weber. The theory operates on the premise that much, if not
all, of human behavior can be attributed to the subjective interpretation of ones environment,
which contains symbols whose meanings are derived from social interaction. Words, objects,
people and even oneself can function as symbols.

Principles and Assumptions

Symbolic interactionism focuses on three main aspects of communication: meaning, language
and thought. According to the theory, meaning is not inherent in objects, but is, instead,
constructed and modified within different contexts through social interaction. The uniquely
human ability to interpret symbols and analyze another persons viewpoint through thinking
allows meaning to emerge. Such meaning shapes a persons self-concept and motivates
behavior. However, for humans to interact successfully, they must first possess a means of
understanding each other. Language, though symbolic in itself, functions as that means.
Interactionists also promote the following ideas:
1. Humans are not products of society, but rather the creators of society. They define their
environments and shape their own behavior.
2. All of society is a series of interactions. Therefore, to understand human behavior, social
psychologists should make human interaction their main focus of study.

3. Self-concept is the result of how a person thinks other people view him or her based on the
messages he or she receives.
4. Social roles arise through the symbols people use to describe their environments.
5. Since social interaction is always an ongoing process, roles, self-concept and human
relationships remain in constant flux, though the rules and frameworks that govern them may
be relatively stable.
Symbolic interactionism differs from other social psychology theories in that it focuses on
human thought and interpersonal communication, rather than social systems or institutions, as
the catalysts of human behavior. Also, instead of conducting research through surveys and
interviews, interactionists prefer to study the face-to-face interactions of individuals.

The Formation and Perception of Self

According to interactionists, communication not only determines human behavior, but also
personal and social identity, as illustrated by the following process:
Step 1 Humans who wish to communicate create symbolic language to represent their ideas.
Step 2 Through interaction, people assign specific meanings to the symbols they created.
Step 3 Humans then use symbolic language to describe their situations and environment.
Step 4 By defining their surroundings, people create roles for themselves. Roles establish
social expectations for behavior.
Step 5 During interaction, humans sense these expectations and attempt to view themselves
through the eyes of others, altering their actions to match expectations if necessary.
Step 6 Fulfilling roles forms peoples identities, which are established patterns of behavior.
As humans take on various roles in different contexts, their identities are gradually shaped and
modified.
The act of viewing oneself from anothers perspective is called role-taking. Through roletaking, people can anticipate others responses to their behavior and plan their actions
accordingly to facilitate smooth and effective communication. However, the labeling that
occurs when defining roles can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. A child who has been made

to think he is a troublemaker, for example, might misbehave to elicit responses from others that
confirm his self-concept.

Understanding Miscommunication
Symbolic interactionism is very useful for understanding how miscommunication occurs
between people. A word or phrase in one context can have an entirely different meaning in
another context. Take the executive in the opening scenario, for example. To him, preparing
for a meeting meant arranging a space for many people to gather and collaborate effectively.
However, past experience had taught the first employee that meetings are where supervisors
ask about ongoing projects; therefore, being prepared for a meeting meant having assignment
reports on hand.
Miscommunication frequently occurs when symbolic messages are analyzed outside of their
original context. A famous example is when President Richard Nixon made a certain hand
gesture before some Australians to communicate his goodwill. Unfortunately, the same gesture
that meant peace in the U.S. had an extremely vulgar meaning in Australia.

Criticism of the Theory

Critics of symbolic interactionism accuse the theory of being too narrow in its research, too
scattered it its approach and too broad and general in its conclusionsfailing to meet the
criteria of a good theory. They say its focus on interpersonal and small-group interactions fails
to address the influence of social institutions on human behavior. Furthermore, though
interactionists strive to conduct their research objectively, their choice of what to study is often
subjective, and their close proximity to their research subjects leads to value commitments that
affect the results of their research. Interactionists have responded to these criticisms by stating
that symbolic interactionism should be viewed more as a theoretical framework than a formal,
scientific theory.