![]() The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions.Īccording to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning as a whole. Much faulty communication can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols.Ĭritics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation-the “big picture.” In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the “trees” (for example, the size of the diamond in the wedding ring) rather than the “forest” (for example, the quality of the marriage). For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing “never ending love,” while the other may see them as a mere financial expense. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean. Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life‐long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. Thus, symbolic interactionists give serious thought to how people act, and then seek to determine what meanings individuals assign to their own actions and symbols, as well as to those of others.Ĭonsider applying symbolic interactionism to the American institution of marriage. The black dots and lines become more than mere marks on the page they refer to notes organized in such a way as to make musical sense. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. The words have a certain meaning for the “sender,” and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the “receiver.” In other terms, words are not static “things” they require intention and interpretation. Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the predominant symbols, make this subjective interpretation especially evident. Mead (1863–1931) introduced this perspective to American sociology in the 1920s.Īccording to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber's assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H. The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other. ![]() Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social forces, and human behavior (see Table 1). These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people, and vice versa. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. Their views form the basis for today's theoretical perspectives, or paradigms, which provide sociologists with an orienting framework-a philosophical position-for asking certain kinds of questions about society and its people. The pioneering European sociologists, however, also offered a broad conceptualization of the fundamentals of society and its workings. From concrete interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and social behavior, sociologists study everything from specific events (the micro level of analysis of small social patterns) to the “big picture” (the macro level of analysis of large social patterns). Sociologists analyze social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives.
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