Symbolic Interactionism : An Introduction, an Interpretation, an Integration

by Charon, Joel M.

• ISBN13: 9780131114791
• ISBN10: 0131114794
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

Using a unique step-by-step,integrated approach, this book organizes the basic concepts of symbolic interactionism in such a way that readers understand them clearly and are able toapply them to their own lives. It emphasizes the active side of human beings-humans as definers and users of the environment, humans as problem solvers and in control of their own actions-and it shows students how society makes us, and how we in turn shape society. Each chapter examines a single concept, but relates that concept to the whole perspective and to other concepts in the perspective. Chapter titles include The Perspective of Social Science, Symbolic Interactionism as a Perspective, The Meaning of the Symbol, The Importance of the Symbol, The Nature of Self, The Human Mind, Taking the Role of the Other, Human Action, Social Interaction, and Society. For individuals interested in the study of social psychology and/or social theory.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
The Nature of Perspective	p. 1
New Perspectives Mean New Realities	p. 6
Perspectives Are Socially Created	p. 8
Is There a Best Perspective?	p. 9
Summary	p. 10
Some Examples of Perspectives: Informal and Formal Perspectives	p. 10
References	p. 12
The Perspective of Social Science	p. 13
Social Science As a Perspective	p. 15
Sociology As a Perspective	p. 17
Psychology As a Perspective	p. 19
Commonalities and Differences between Sociology and Psychology	p. 20
The Perspective of Social Psychology in Psychology	p. 21
The Perspective of Social Psychology in Sociology	p. 23
Summary	p. 25
References	p. 26
Symbolic Interactionism As a Perspective	p. 27
Introduction: Five Central Ideas	p. 27
General Historical Background of Symbolic Interactionism	p. 28
Mead and Pragmatism	p. 29
Mead and Darwin	p. 31
Mead and Behaviorism	p. 33
A Contrast With Other Perspectives: Warriner	p. 33
Shibutani: Reference Groups As Perspectives	p. 35
Attitudes Versus Perspectives	p. 37
Summary	p. 39
References	p. 40
The Meaning of the Symbol	p. 41
The Nature of Reality	p. 42
Importance of a Social Defined Reality	p. 43
Objects As "Social Objects"	p. 44
Symbols--A Class of Social Objects	p. 46
Symbols Are Social, Meaningful, and Significant	p. 47
Language	p. 51
Words As Categories	p. 52
Symbols, Perspectives, and Interaction	p. 53
Humans and "Infrahumans"	p. 54
How Animals Approach Environment	p. 55
Symbols versus Signs	p. 56
Summary	p. 57
References	p. 58
The Importance of the Symbol	p. 60
Symbols and Social Reality	p. 60
Symbols and Human Social Life	p. 61
Symbols and the Individual	p. 64
Naming, Memory, Categorizing	p. 64
Perception	p. 65
Thinking	p. 65
Deliberation and Problem Solving	p. 66
Transcendence of Space and Time	p. 66
Transcendence of One's Own Person	p. 67
Abstract Reality	p. 67
Creativity	p. 68
Self-Direction	p. 69
The Importance of Symbols: A Summary	p. 69
References	p. 71
The Nature of the Self	p. 72
Self As a Social Object	p. 72
Self As Social: Four Social Stages of Self-Development	p. 74
The Preparatory Stage	p. 75
The Play Stage	p. 75
The Game Stage	p. 76
The Reference Group Stage	p. 77
Selves as Ever-Changing Social Objects	p. 78
Self As Object	p. 79
Action Toward Self: Self-Communication	p. 80
Action Toward Self: Self-Perception	p. 81
Self-Perception: Assessment of Our Own Action	p. 81
Self-Perception: The Development of Self-Concept	p. 82
Self-Perception: Self-Judgment, One Aspect of Self-Concept	p. 82
Self-Perception: Identity, One Aspect of Self-Concept	p. 86
Action Toward Self: Self-Control	p. 88
Central Ideas About the Self	p. 90
The Self and the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective	p. 91
The "I" and the "Me"	p. 92
Summary	p. 94
References	p. 94
The Human Mind	p. 97
The Meaning of Mind: Symbolic Interaction Toward Self	p. 97
Mind Action: Making Indications Toward Self	p. 99
Mind Action: The Ability to Control Overt Action	p. 100
Mind Action: The Ability to Problem Solve	p. 102
Mind Action Is Part of All Social Interaction	p. 104
Summary	p. 106
References	p. 107
Taking the Role of the Other	p. 109
Description of the Concept	p. 109
Role Taking's Relationship to Self, Mind, and Symbols	p. 111
Self	p. 112
Mind	p. 112
Symbols	p. 113
Role Taking	p. 113
The Importance of Role Taking	p. 114
Its Central Place in All Social Interaction	p. 114
Nine Ways Role Taking Is Central to All Human Life	p. 115
And If We Don't Role Take--So What?	p. 119
Summary	p. 120
References	p. 122
Human Action	p. 124
The "Stream of Action"	p. 124
The Act	p. 126
Action, Goals, and Social Objects	p. 128
Mead's Four Stages of the Act	p. 130
Impulse	p. 130
Perception	p. 131
Manipulation	p. 131
Consummation	p. 132
A Brief Look at the Four Stages	p. 132
Locating the "Cause" of Human Action	p. 133
The Definition of the Situation	p. 136
Habitual Action	p. 137
The Role of the Past in Human Action	p. 138
The Role of the Future in Human Action	p. 139
Action and Motives	p. 140
Action and Emotions	p. 142
Action and Choice	p. 145
Summary	p. 145
References	p. 146
Social Interaction	p. 149
Social Action	p. 149
The Meaning of Social Interaction	p. 150
Mutual Social Action	p. 150
Social Interaction Is Symbolic	p. 151
Social Interaction Involves Role Taking	p. 153
The General Importance of Social Interaction	p. 153
Social Interaction Forms Our Basic Human Qualities	p. 154
Social Interaction Is an Important Cause of Human Action	p. 155
Social Interaction Shapes Identities	p. 160
We Label One Another in Social Interaction	p. 160
We Attempt to Shape Identities in Social Interaction	p. 161
We Shape Our Own Identities in Social Interaction	p. 164
Social Interaction Creates Society	p. 165
Summary	p. 165
References	p. 166
Society	p. 168
Groups, Organizations, Social Worlds, and Societies	p. 169
Society Is Symbolic Interaction	p. 170
Society Is Symbolic Interaction That Is Characterized by Cooperative Action	p. 171
Society Is Social Interaction That Is Symbolic, That Is Characterized by Cooperation, and That Develops Culture	p. 175
Culture Is a Shared Perspective	p. 175
Culture Is a Generalized Other	p. 175
Culture Maintains Society	p. 176
Culture Is Ever Changing	p. 178
The Individual Exists Within Many Societies	p. 179
The Active Human Being in Society	p. 182
Summary	p. 184
References	p. 185
Erving Goffman	p. 187
Goffman and Symbolic Interactionism	p. 187
Drama in Interaction	p. 188
Impressions and Performance	p. 188
Performance Teams	p. 190
Reaction to Goffman's Dramaturgical View	p. 191
The Self of Social Interaction	p. 192
Goffman's View of Self	p. 192
Social Control and Self	p. 192
Rituals of Interaction	p. 195
The Meaning of Ritual	p. 195
The Importance of Ritual	p. 196
The Environments of Social Interaction	p. 198
Summary	p. 200
References	p. 201
Symbolic Interactionism: A Final Assessment	p. 202
Symbolic Interactionism and Human Freedom: A Review	p. 203
Symbolic Interactionism and Science	p. 206
Symbolic Interactionism: Some Representative Studies	p. 209
A Study of Pregnant Drug Users	p. 209
A Study of Sam's Definition of Pain and Injury	p. 211
A Study of Identity Formation in a Maximum Security Prison	p. 212
A Study of Orthodox Synagogue Life	p. 213
A Study of Little League Baseball	p. 215
A Study of Bachelorhood and Conversion	p. 215
Symbolic Interactionism: Some Examples of Application	p. 216
An Understanding of Society	p. 218
An Understanding of Racism in Society	p. 218
An Understanding of Gender Differences	p. 221
An Understanding of Dating, Marriage, and Family	p. 222
An Understanding of Childhood Socialization	p. 223
Symbolic Interactionism: A View of the College Experience	p. 225
Symbolic Interactionism: A Final Look at Application	p. 226
The Importance of the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective	p. 227
Summary	p. 229
References	p. 230
Index	p. 231
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

The first edition of this book attempted to fulfill a promise I made to myself in graduate school: to write a clear, organized, and interesting introduction to symbolic interactionism. It was meant to integrate that perspective, to be as accurate as possible, and to help the reader apply the ideas to real life. Since that first edition, symbolic interactionism has become increasingly important to the discipline of sociology. Its criticisms of traditional sociology have made an impact. Its research studies have increasingly become a part of sociology. Its practitioners are some of the leading officers, journal editors, and researchers in the discipline. Each time I attempt to improve on what I have written before, it brings a certain humility to my work. After revising each edition, I wonder how in the world I could ever have written what I had previously. In the fourth edition, I was very fortunate to include a chapter on Erving Goffman by Spencer Cahill, which proved to be a wonderful addition. Joel Powell's contribution to that fourth edition also proved significant. In the fifth edition, I thoroughly revised the chapter on social interaction and the last chapter on applications of the perspective. Because of some very helpful reviewers, in this eighth edition I decided to rewrite Chapter 8, "Taking the Role of the Other" in order to make it less formal and more interesting. In Chapter 13, I changed several of the representative empirical studies. Also, my references are listed at the end of the book, and include several recent articles and books I believe will encourage further reading in the area of symbolic interactionism. I always try to change the chapters so that they are more up-to-date, more interesting, and more accurate. My guide has always been criticisms by students from classes who used this book as well as reviewers the publisher provided. Readers will find this edition more understandable and applicable to real-life situations. Throughout the book, students will discover that symbolic interactionism is relevant to issues they really care about, emphasizing that it contains a perspective they can apply to their lives. Its purpose is always to discuss each of the key concepts in turn, and linking the concept to earlier ones discussed in order to give an integrated description of the whole perspective. As always, I examine each chapter of the previous edition very carefully in order to update and correct any errors and ambiguity. I make special efforts to appeal to students who think sociologically and students who are attracted to the world of ideas. After all, this is the excitement this perspective has always had for me. I vividly recall my discussion with Eleanor VanderHaegen and Mary Zimmerman in Walter Library more than twenty-five years ago. We knew then that symbolic interactionism had something important to say; it was just that too many books seemed to miss the message. This book is an attempt to make the message; thankfully, other fine symbolic interactionists are successfully making the message today. Social psychology is a very broad area of scholarship in both sociology and psychology. There are many studies; there are many concepts; there are many theoretical perspectives. Social psychology is much more than just symbolic interactionism. However, no perspective within social psychology, in my opinion, comes closer to capturing the essence of the human being as a social being--a creator of, a product of, a shaper of society--than symbolic interactionism. The essence of the human being is that we interact with one another, and that social interaction leads to society, who we are as human beings, and who we are as individuals. We may have now gone beyond George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer, and Erving Goffman, but this essence remains critical to what symbolic interactionism is, and this essence remains the message that this perspective brings to the student.

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