AQA A level sociology: Interactionism

What type of theory is interactionism?

Social Action Theory

What do interactionists believe individuals demonstrate?

Freewill

What is interactionism based upon?

Interpretations and meanings that individuals assign to symbols and interactions with one another

Who are the 4 main sociologists associated with interactionism?

- Mead
- Blumer
- Goffman
- Becker

What does Mead state that individuals develop?

A concept of the 'self'

How do people develop a concept of the 'self'?

Through their interactions with others

Mead suggests that the self-concept can only develop if...

people understand how others perceive them

What does Mead believe is necessary in order for someone to understand others?

Placing yourself into their position in order to understand their reactions

Why does Blumer believe individuals behave in certain ways?

Because of their interpretation of situations and what is appropriate

What are our interpretations based upon?

Our interactions with others

What does Blumer say happens to our interpretations over time?

They are shaped over time through future interactions

What can individuals use their freewill to do?

Change their interpretations based upon their actions

What type of interactionism are Mead and Blumer associated with?

Symbolic Interactionism

What does symbolic interactionism refer to?

Symbolic = Words/gestures/objects that we place meaning upon

Interactionism = How people interact with each other and interpret these signals

What does Goffman describe individuals as?

Social actors

What does Goffman mean by social actors?

Where people assume a persona in the same way an actor assumes a role

What is the dramaturgical theory?

The idea that people have a 'front stage' and a 'back stage'

What is most people's 'front stage'?

Out in public

What is most people's 'back stage'?

At home in private

What does Goffman believe dramaturgical theory leads to?

Impression management

What is impression management?

Where people adapt to give particular impressions of themselves in a desirable way

How do people accomplish impression management?

- clothing
- music
- body language
- behaviours

What does Goffman suggest would happen without social interactions?

Individuals may lose a sense of their self

What is the concept of the 'looking-glass self'?

A theory that we become who we are based on how we think others see us

What does Becker suggest?

Labels come to define an individual

How do labels come to define an individual?

As the label is internalised, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy

How does Gouldner criticise Becker?

He argues that some people may choose to reject their label (self-rejecting prophecy)

Which sociologist found evidence of the self-rejecting prophecy?

Fuller

Which group did Fuller (1982) study?

Black girls in London

What did Fuller (1982) find?

Black girls were given a negative label by teachers, but they chose to reject the label and achieved highly in their education

What does the labelling theory fail to explore?

The origins of labels

What is another criticism of the labelling theory?

It is too deterministic

How is labelling theory deterministic?

It assumes that labels influence the behaviour of individuals

What does interactionism ignore?

Wider conflicts that might shape behaviours

What does interactionist methodology tend to be?

Subjective and small-scale, not generalisable to society

How has interactionism changed the way research is conducted?

By introducing concepts such as Verstehen

What is Verstehen?

The empathetic understanding of human behaviour

Which people in society do interactionists tend to study?

The 'underdogs' of society

Why is interactionism more useful than other theories in a post-structural society?

As it focuses on meanings and individual behaviours, addressing the micro-nature of contemporary society