Symbolic Interactionism: Understanding The Family

530 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Types of parenting styles argument

Symbolic interactionists view the family as a site of social reproduction where meanings are negotiated and maintained by family members. Symbolic interactionists argue that shared activities help to build emotional bonds, and that marriage and family relationships are based on negotiated meanings. Symbolic interactionists also explore the changing meanings attached to family. They argue that shared activities help to build emotional bonds among family members, and that marriage and family relationships are based on negotiated meanings. By far, my favorite sociological theory is Symbolic Interactionism. This is a very useful theory for understanding other people, improving communications, and learning skills. Another theory for understanding the family is the Family System Theory which has proven to be very powerful. Family Systems Theory claims that individuals are inextricably tied to their family. According to the family systems theory, anything that happens to any family member has an impact on everyone else in the family. How people think and behave is deeply influenced by their family background, and people are best understood by understanding their family. …show more content…

In my culture, new parents turn to their parents for advice. In this way, grandparents also have an active role in raising their kids children, this means (in my case and most cases) that the child might have two or sometimes four active parental figures at home. Parenting styles in different countries are different. U.S. parents value independence and self-reliance. At the age of 18, their children are expected to leave the home whether it’s to college or to live independently. In my cuture, the latino culture, parents value family integration. One comparison is certain and that is that all parents want what’s best for their family. All children need unconditional love from their parents and extended family

Show More
Related

  • Symbolic Interactionism: The American Dream

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to effectively interpret the research and information provided by interviewees, I will be looking through the lens of symbolic interactionism. As defined in You May Ask Yourself, it is, "a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people's actions" (Conley 2015). In terms of the American dream, this way of thinking perpetrates itself through shared meanings and the motivation of the assumption that the American dream is plausible. "The American dream's endurance attests to most Americans' insistence on the dream as an ideal, if not as a reality (Cohen-Marks 2011: 825). "

    Read More

  • Examples Of Symbolic Interactionism In Daddy's Little Girls

    431 Words  | 1 Pages

    The movie that I decided to analyze is Daddy’s Little Girls. Daddy’s Little Girls is a movie that shows the loving relationship between a dad and his daughter and all the things he goes through to take care of them and be the best father possible. I chose to use this movie to analyze because it displays a lot of emotion and family love.

    Read More

  • Major Sociological Theories

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    In symbolic interaction we communicate with other people through roles that we assign to them, the way we label them, or how we act in accordance to what this person symbolizes to us. Often we assign labels, or roles to other people by knowing them from before. It is focused on individual interactions with other people, things or the events. One thing can symbolize one thing to me, but it can mean something else to another individual. Since we view the same thing differently, we will interact towards that thing or individual in different ways. An example of this is, rainy day for my kids means fun in the water, walking through mud, and just enjoying the day. To me the same rainy day means, lots of dirty clothes, mud all over the floor. It is important to remember that someone’s symbolic interaction can change. It is fully focused on micro sociology, only focusing on interactions between individuals. It states that we interact and change according to our prior experiences and interactions. Two sociologists that are identified with this theory are Max Weber and George Mead. Action depends

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hispanic And American Culture

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    In both cultures, grandparents and elders are highly respected, the father holds most of the power and is the decision maker of the household, the mother is the caretaker of the household, and the children’s only responsibility is to go to school and receive an education. This is the case in almost every Hispanic family because they tend to keep traditional values. This hierarchy also occurs in traditional American families. It was always thought that the “absence of a father is destructive to children, particularly boys, because it means that children will lack the economic resources, role model, discipline, structure, and guidance that a father provides.” (Biblarz & Raftery, 1999) However, this is no longer the case. The differences between American family structures can be most clearly seen when separated by socioeconomic class. Now, studies have shown that “children from single-mother families do approximately as well as children from two-biological-parent families.” (Biblarz & Raftery, 1999) This encourages mothers to believe that a single-mother household is still successful. Therefore, the mother becomes the decision maker and caretaker. This concept also applies for opposite genders. In single-father households, the father is not only the decision maker but the caretaker as well. These family structural differences make way for another similarity in Hispanic and American cultures. Faith

    Read More

  • Hispanic Cultural Culture

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a traditional, collectivistic cultural group, the Latino population is believed to adhere deeply to the value of familismo. (Arditti, 2006; Calzada, 2014). Familism is an emphasis on the importance of the family unit over values of autonomy and individualism”. (Santistaben, 2012). Family is considered to be the top priority in the Latino culture. Comparatively, at times, this isn’t true of our busy, work devoted western culture. In western culture we think of our family in a nuclear sense made up of a: mom, dad, and siblings. Conversely, Hispanic culture focuses on the whole extended family including aunts, uncles, grandparent, and cousins. Their culture believes having close connections with the entire extended family benefits the development of their children. The entire family helps the child by giving them differing levels of social and emotional support. (American Home Resolutions,

    Read More

  • Symbolic Interactionism

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    D) They were among the first faculty members in the sociology department at the University of Chicago. The answer could not be B) They were all sociologists who won Nobel Prizes for their work in social reform, because that was Jane Adams and Frances Perkins. In addition, the answer could not be C) They all established major sub disciplines in sociology, because only of the three, George Herman Mead, was one of the founders of symbolic interactionism.

    Read More

  • Attachment Theory: Systematic Analysis Of The Family Of Origin

    1912 Words  | 4 Pages

    In understanding others, one must first understand our own family background and how it affects our understanding of the world. Conversely, family systems draw on the view of the family as an emotional unit. Under system thinking, one evaluates the parts of the systems in relation to the whole meaning behavior becomes informed by and inseparable from the functioning of one’s family of origin. These ideas show that individuals have a hard time separating from the family and the network of relationships. With a deeper comprehension of the family of origin helps with the challenges and awareness of normalized human behaviors. When interviewing and analyzing the family of origin, allow one to look at their own family of origin

    Read More

  • Interactionists

    415 Words  | 1 Pages

    Interactionists, therefore, ask different questions than those asked by structuralist sociologists. They're less concerned with how the family fits into the structure of society or how the structure of society affects the family - they're much more likely to look at what actually goes on inside families - the day-to-day interactions of family life and how people negotiate their roles within the family. Structuralist theorists, functionalists and Marxists might ask questions like: Q "Why does the family, as we know it, exist?" Q "What purpose does the family serve for society?" Q "In whose interests, or for whose benefit, does the family operate?"

    Read More

  • Bilingual Education

    1698 Words  | 4 Pages

    Orozco, Graciela L. "Understanding the Culture of Low-Income Immigrant Latino Parents: Key to Involvement." The School Community Journal 1st ser. 18 (2008): 21-37. Web. .

    Read More

  • Examples Of Symbolic Interactionism In Sociology

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sociologists view society in different ways. Sociologists use three major theories: symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and conflict theory. 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 (Cliff). Some examples of symbolic interactionism are the meaning of marriage, the meaning of divorce, the meaning of parenthood, and the meaning of love. Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life‐long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean (Cliff). Symbols have a shared social meaning that is understood by all members of society. Symbolical interactionism is analyzed at a micro-sociological level. It examines small-scale patterns of social interaction. It focuses mainly on face-to-face interaction and how people use symbols to create a social life.

    Read More

  • Symbolic Interactionism

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    the interaction the individual itself and how they interact within their surroundings. Through symbolic interactionalism you look at things and what they mean, and then determine the effects they have. There are many hand signs, both good and bad, that people exchange, as well as facial expressions in reaction to an event or statement that a symbolic interactionalist would look at. My observation period in the library allowed me to glimpse into the life of a sociologist. I realized that you could learn a lot about someone by just watching him or her. Their behavior is highly representative of the person they are; yet one cannot assume what specific reactions imply. Through the use of your sociological imagination you are able to gain a deeper understanding of behavior and how behavior is influenced by society.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Three Sociological Perspectives

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    While functionalist and conflict perspectives are represented through societal cohesiveness and societal engagement symbolic interactionism shows the signifigance of it all. Society is symbolic interactionism. It's emphasizes of how society mingles and intertwines within itself through conflict and resloution every moment of everyday. Without interaction we would all be hermits or living in underground bunkers fading away. It would all become nothingness and it's history would be a distant

    Read More

  • Sociology of Family

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    "A family is a small social group of people related by ancestry or affection, who share common values and goals, who may live together in the same dwelling, and who may participate in the bearing and raising of children. They have a physical or emotional connection with each other that is ongoing" (Vissing, 2011) and is the foundation of all societies. They can be formed by a grouping of father-mother-children or even more complicated combination of relatives. In the primary stage of family life in the United States, everyone from every generation lived together in one house. Subsequently, the idea of traditional family evolved and a married couple with children is at present, often called the traditional family. There are many types of families; however, this paper will focus on the traditional family. It will describe how the functionalist perspective, conflict perspective, and the interactionism theory apply to the sociological institution known as a family. It will explain some of the similarities and differences between the sociological theories in regards to families and how they affect the family members.

    Read More

  • Family Inequality In The Family

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    Symbolic interactionism is the most social out of the three theories due to the fact that it is based upon the premise that society is made through the interactions individuals have with each other. The belief “that family reinforce and rejuvenate bonds through symbolic mechanism rituals such as family meals and holidays” is held by symbolic interactionism (Boundless). Everything any family member does is symbolic and affects the other family members in a positive or negative light and rituals or traditions held by the family only impacts the individual more. This brings forth the stereotype that parents control the fate of their children nonetheless. People emphasize the interactions parents have with their children over anyone else, as parents are the people that the child does see and is around most often in majority of

    Read More

  • The Family as an Agent of Socialization

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hutter, M. (1985) "Symbolic Interaction and the Study of the Family" In Foundations of Interpretive Sociology: Studies in Symbolic Interaction, ed. H. A. Farberman and R. S. Perinbanayagam. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press

    Read More

More about Symbolic Interactionism: Understanding The Family

Open Document