Symbolic Interactionism Is a Term

Symbolic Interactionism is a term coined by Herbert Blumer and it pertains to a sociological perspective. This sociological perspective is perhaps the most relevant to society because it "stresses the way societies are created through the interactions of individuals" ("Definitions," 2009). According to Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook, Symbolic Interactionism is a sociological approach to understanding society by focusing on the subjective experience of a person. Because of this, it is said that Symbolic Interactionism is a perspective that looks at the micro-sociological level. In this perspective, there is "focus on the subjective experience of an individual as the basis for understanding and studying society…we constantly adjust our behavior to the actions of others" ("Symbolic Interactionism," 2009). Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook explains that in the Symbolic Interactionism approach, when people interact socially, they constantly adjust their behavior to the actions of others. The subjective aspects of people's social lives are the focus of Symbolic Interactionism. People's interaction is carried out through the use of symbols which people interpret and give meanings to. In this perspective it is believed that people learn things from others through this ongoing process of symbolic interaction, which includes communication of meanings.

It is said that Symbolic Interactionism has "a long intellectual history" (McClelland). Its roots are traced to German sociologist and economist, Max Weber. It wasn't Weber who coined the term "Symbolic Interactionism." He also wasn't the one who founded the Symbolic Interactionism perspective. Weber's contribution to the perspective is often attributed to his writings. It is said that his writings influences those who developed the Symbolic Interactionism perspective. Max Weber pushed forward the notion that human behavior has subjective meanings. He was interested in the meanings that people ascribe to things. Meanings are important concepts and components of Symbolic Interactionism; it is in area that Weber's writings were able to influence the creators of the Symbolic Interactionism perspective. Weber believed that "since culture is based on symbols, and symbols must have meanings in order to be symbols, then our understanding of them is an essential element of understanding society" (McClelland).

Symbolic Interactionism's roots can also be traced to pragmatism through the works of George Herbert Mead and John Dewey. John Dewey's influence on the development of Symbolic Interactionism is connected with his postulation about the mind. He believed that "the mind is not an object, but rather, a thinking process that involves a series of stages" which include "defining objects in the social world, outlining possible modes of conduct, imagining the consequences of alternative courses of action, eliminating unlikely possibilities, and selecting the optimal mode of action" (Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook).

Meanwhile, George Herbert Mead is considered as the person who laid the foundations of Symbolic Interactionism (Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook). He is sometimes referred to as the father of Symbolic Interactionism. Although Mead did not write down and publish his ideas that were the foundations of Symbolic Interactionism, it was said that he communicated and taught his ideas to his students while he was teaching Social Psychology in the University of Chicago. His students' notes on his lectures were the cornerstones of Symbolic Interactionism. Mead's great contribution to Symbolic Interactionism is his focus on the mind, self, and society. He believed that people are active and dynamic actors. His main contribution to Symbolic Interactionism is his development of the concepts of symbol, sign, act, gesture, significant symbols, self, play stage, game stage, generalized other, I, and me.

George Herbet Mead's ideas on Symbolic Interactionism were also influenced by the work of Charles Horton Cooley. Charles Cooley's contribution to the evolution of the Symbolic Interactionism perspective was through his concept of the looking-glass self. The looking-glass self illustrates how people grown through their interaction with others. In the looking-glass self it is believed that people's activities become part of their self-identity. A person's self-identity springs from other people's perception in society and the perception of others about a person. Cooley hypothesized that the looking-glass self begins early in the life of a person and continues throughout a person's lifetime ("Other influential contributors," 2009).

Herbert Blumer, having coined the term Symbolic Interactionism, is the person who was instrumental in the development of the Symbolic Interactionism perspective. Blumer was a student of George Herbert Mead. More than writing, publishing, and popularizing Mead's ideas, Blumer built on Mead's ideas and further developed. He believed and theorized that "there was more to human behavior than influences on it by outside forces or uncontrollable psychological factors" (Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook). Blumer recognized the three basic principles of Symbolic Interactionism which are meaning, language, and thought.

According to Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook, it was Erving Goffman who expanded the sphere of Symbolic Interactionism. Through his work on the dramaturgical perspective helped expand the realm of Symbolic Interactionism. Erving Goffman's work on the dramaturgical perspective started with the belief that "people seem to follow scripts and play games in interaction" (Canfield). Goffman also stretched Mead's concept of the I and the Me by discussing the anxiety that a social actor experiences "in trying to live up to the expectations of society when enacting the various roles expected of him or her" (Bandy, Foley, Hatch, Sirle and Snook). Furthermore, Goffman also theorized that "a person has a right to be treated in accordance with the way he presents himself, ascribing authenticity to that person" (Canfield). To Goffman, "people do not always act sincerely but they act to avoid embarrassment… role expectations and role performances form the basis of society, as do rules, which act as frames for human action" (Canfield). Goffman's work endeavors to illustrate that way interactions and performances form social reality. People's ability to carry out a persuasive performance by making people believe that they are who they say they are is the way to impress themselves and others.