Smbolic Interactionism

- quiz

symbolic interactionism

how people give meaning to symbols through social interactions.

symbolic interactionism

based from their experiences and interactions with others

Symbols

words, gestures, objects with meaning

Interaction

ongoing communication iwth each other using symbols

meaning

what those symbols mean to us.

meaning

it's not given, but created and shared.

george herbert mead

the father of symbolic interactionism

george herbert mead

believed the self develops through social interaction

george herbert mead

his famous idea is the "I" and "Me"

I

how you see yourself

Me

how others see you

charles horton cooley

was an early American sociologist linked to symbolic interactionism.

charles horton cooley

he introduced the concept of the looking-glass self

looking-glass self

showing how people develop their self-image through interactions and perceptions of how others see them.

charles horton cooley

he emphasized that identity is shaped through communication, especially within close relationships like family

herbert blumer

was an american sociologist who developed and named symbolic interactionism.

herbert blumer

building on george herbert mead's ideas, he argued that people act based on the meanings they give to things, and these meanings come from social interactions.

herbert blumer

he saw human behavior as active and interpretive, not just reactive.

pros

explains how people create meaning in everyday life

pros

shows that people actively shape their social world

pros

helps us understand how identity develops through interaction

cons

doesn't focus much on large social structures like class or power

cons

ideas are hard to measure or test scientifically

cons

doesn't explain well how society stays stable and organized