symbolic interaction

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Recommended: Applying symbolic interactionism theory

Symbolic interaction is the process of how dynamic involvement in the life of groups affects the social development of an individual. It is a theory of interaction in which the goal of interactions is to create a shared meaning. Social structure is the arrangements of societies where human beings live to interact with each other. Self is the subject the individual experiences in connections to emotions. It occurs through the interactions of others. In Chapter 11, Mead, Blumer, and Goffman critiqued symbolic interaction as a theory of society and also discussed the differences between symbolic interaction and social structure. George Herbert Mead asserts that people have to manage with the reality of their circumstances according to the situation. Some of the concepts that Mead believes is mind, self, and society. The mind reveals an individual’s ability to conceive what it perceives and change gestures into symbols. Self has a development and is not originally there at birth. The idea of society is the organization of human experience and behavior as it cannot function without the mind and self. Furthermore, in accordance to Mead, self has two parts: “I” and the “Me”. The similarities between the two of them are that both parts are in a person’s self-concept. The differences between the two are that “I” is the unpredictable and impulsive feature of the self while “me” is the subject of an individual’s actions that is developed through the interaction of the society. Another concept that Mead focused on is the generalized other. Whenever individuals are thinking about themselves, this concept allows individuals to interact socially. According to Mead, he believes “In taking such roles the individual seeks to ascertain the intenti... ... middle of paper ... ...ns of others. In Chapter 11, Mead, Blumer, Hochschild, and Goffman critiqued symbolic interaction as a theory of society and also discussed the differences between symbolic interaction and social structure. From my perspective, I can critique symbolic interactionism as a theory used in today’s society because workers have to manage their emotions while having to deal their job atmosphere in the workplace. In addition, symbolic interaction forces workers to act a certain way which can lead them to get used to having these behaviors even when they are no longer working because of the pressure and situation of having these behavior. Lastly, out of all perspectives, I think that Hochschild’s perspective on symbolic interaction is the most crucial because emotional labor still occurs in today’s society as workers are alienated from the products that they produce.

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