One conversational partner can conform to the expectations of the other, he or she can ignore certain incidents, or he or she can solve apparent problems. Symbolic interactionism aims to understand human behavior by analyzing the critical role of symbols in human interaction. This is certainly relevant to the discussion of masculinity and femininity , because the characteristics and practices of both are socially constructed , reproduced, and reinforced through daily interactions.
Imagine, for example, that you walk into a bank, hoping to get a small loan for school, a home, or a small business venture. If you meet with a male loan officer, you might state your case logically, listing all of the hard numbers that make you a qualified applicant for the loan. This type of approach would appeal to the analytical characteristics typically associated with masculinity. If you meet with a female loan officer, on the other hand, you might make an emotional appeal, by stating your positive social intentions.
This type of approach would appeal to the sensitive and relational characteristics typically associated with femininity.
The meanings attached to symbols are socially created and fluid, instead of natural and static. Glasgow, Scotland: HarperCollins. Sociology in Our Times. Kimmel, Michael S. Sociology Now. Kornblum, William. Sociology in a Changing World. Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. Sociology: A Global Introduction. Harlow, England: Pearson Education. Macmillan Dictionary. Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber.
Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. Toronto: Pearson. Schaefer, Richard. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill. Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. Having no biological bases at all, both race and gender are social constructs that function based on what we believe to be true about people, given what they look like.
We use socially constructed meanings of race and gender to help us decide who to interact with, how to do so, and to help us determine, sometimes inaccurately, the meaning of a person's words or actions. One shocking example of how this theoretical concept plays out within the social construct of race is manifested in the fact that many people, regardless of race, believe that lighter skinned Blacks and Latinos are smarter than their darker skinned counterparts.
This phenomenon, called colorism , occurs because of the racist stereotype that has been encoded in skin color over centuries. Concerning gender, we see the problematic way in which meaning is attached to the symbols "man" and "woman" in the sexist trend of college students routinely rating male professors more highly than female ones. Or, in pay inequality based on gender. Critics of this theory claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation.
In the case of smoking, the functionalist perspective might miss the powerful role that the institution of mass media plays in shaping perceptions of smoking through advertising, and by portraying smoking in film and television. In the cases of race and gender, this perspective would not account for social forces like systemic racism or gender discrimination, which strongly influence what we believe race and gender mean.
E, doi Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. By sharing the image on social media, it and the symbols that compose it act as a declaration that says, "This is who I am. Sociologists trace the theoretical roots of the interactionist perspective to Max Weber , one of the founders of the field.
A core tenet of Weber's approach to theorizing the social world was that we act based on our interpretation of the world around us. In other words, action follows meaning. In this book, Weber demonstrates the value of this perspective by illustrating how historically, a Protestant worldview and set of morals framed work as a calling directed by God, which in turn gave moral meaning to dedication to work.
The act of committing oneself to work, and working hard, as well as saving money rather than spending it on earthly pleasures, followed this accepted meaning of the nature of work. Action follows meaning. Brief accounts of symbolic interactionism often misattribute the creation of it to early American sociologist George Herbert Mead. In fact, it was another American sociologist, Herbert Blumer, who coined the phrase "symbolic interactionism.
That said, it was Mead's pragmatist theory that laid a robust groundwork for the subsequent naming and development of this perspective. Mead's theoretical contribution is contained in his posthumously published Mind, Self and Society.
In this work, Mead made a fundamental contribution to sociology by theorizing the difference between "I" and "me.
He wrote, and sociologists today maintain, that "I" is the self as a thinking, breathing, active subject in society, whereas "me" is the accumulation of knowledge of how that self as an object is perceived by others.
Another early American sociologist, Charles Horton Cooley , wrote about "me" as "the looking-glass self," and in doing so, also made important contributions to symbolic interactionism.
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