What is symbolic interactionism in sociology?

  • Definition of Symbolic Interactionism
  • Etymology of Symbolic Interactionism
  • Symbolic Interactionism Pronunciation
  • Usage Notes
  • Related Quotation
  • Related Videos
  • Additional Information
  • Related Terms
  • Reference
  • Works Consulted
  • Cite the Definition of Symbolic Interactionism

Definition of Symbolic Interactionism

(noun) The theory that society is possible because of the shared meanings and social patterns created during social interactions.

Etymology of Symbolic Interactionism

  • Herbert Blumer (1900–1986) is credited with coining the term.

Symbolic Interactionism Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: sym·bol·ic in·ter·ac·tion·ism

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /sɪmˈbɑlɪk ˌɪntəˈrækʃənɪz(ə)m/
  • British English – /sɪmˈbɒlɪk ˌɪntərˈækʃənɪz(ə)m/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: symbolic interactionisms
  • Symbolic interactionism is a microsociological perspective.
  • Symbolic interactionism along with conflict theory and functionalism are the typical perspectives studied in sociology but postmodern perspectives are challenging this tradition.
  • Symbolic Interactionism grew out of Max Weber‘s (1864–1920) work on Verstehen.
  • Symbolic interactionism scholars include:
    • Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929)
    • George Herbert Mead (1863–1931)
    • Georg Simmel (1858–1918)
  • Also called:
    • interactionist perspective
    • symbolic interaction
    • symbolic interaction approach
    • symbolic interaction perspective
    • symbolic interaction theory
    • symbolic interactionist perspective
  • A (noun) symbolic interactionist studies society from the (adjective) symbolic interactionistic or (adjective) symbolic interactionistical perspective (adverb) symbolic interactionistically.
  • “Postmodern theorists, believe that entirely new ways of examining social life are needed and that it is time to move beyond functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist approaches” (Kendall 2006:37).

Additional Information

  • Berger, Peter, and Thomas Luckmann. 1966. The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Harmondsworth, United Kingdom: Penguin.
  • Blumer, Herbert. 1969. Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
  • Charon, Joel M. 2010. Symbolic Interactionism: An Introduction, An Interpretation. 10th ed. Boston: Prentice Hall.
  • Cooley, Charles Horton. 1902. Human Nature and the Social Order. New York: Scribner.
  • Ehrenreich, Barbara. 2001. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. New York: Metropolitan.
  • Gans, Herbert. 1962. The Urban Villagers. New York: Free Press.
  • Garfinkel, Harold. 1967. Studies in Ethnomethodology. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Goffman, Erving. 1959. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
  • Hewitt, John P., and David Shulman. 2011. Self and Society: A Symbolic Interactionist Social Psychology. 11th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
  • Kuhn, Manford H. 1964. “Major Trends in Symbolic Interaction Theory in the Past Twenty-five Years.” Sociological Quarterly 5(1):61–68. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1964.tb02256.x.
  • Manis, Jerome G., and Bernard N. Meltzer. 1978. Symbolic Interaction: A Reader in Social Psychology. 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
  • Mead, George Herbert. 1934. Mind, Self & Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Reynolds, Larry T., and Nancy J. Harman-Kinney, eds. 2003. Handbook of Symbolic Interactionism. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira.
  • Rose, Arnold Marshall. 1962. Human Behavior and Social Process. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
  • Stryker, Sheldon. 1980. Symbolic Interactionism: A Social Structural Version. Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin/Cummings.
  • culture
  • individual
  • norm
  • role
  • society
  • study
  • theory
  • value

Reference

Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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Cite the Definition of Symbolic Interactionism

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “symbolic interactionism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved November 9, 2022 (https://sociologydictionary.org/symbolic-interactionism/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

symbolic interactionism. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/symbolic-interactionism/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “symbolic interactionism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://sociologydictionary.org/symbolic-interactionism/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“symbolic interactionism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2022. .

What is symbolic interactionism?

Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical perspective in sociology that addresses the manner in which society is created and maintained through face-to-face, repeated, meaningful interactions among individuals.

What is an example of symbolic interactionism?

What Is Symbolic Interactionism? While it might seem like a big name, symbolic interactionism is how your experiences add subjective meanings to symbols and letters. For example, the word 'dog' is just a series of letters. Through your interactions with the letters 'dog', you see this as a furry, four-legged canine.

What is social interactionism in sociology?

Interactionism is micro-sociological perspective that argues meaning to be produced through the interactions of individuals. The social interaction is a face-to-face process consisting of actions, reactions, and mutual adaptation between two or more individuals, with the goal of communicating with others.

What is the main focus of symbolic interactionism?

Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theory that focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society. Communication—the exchange of meaning through language and symbols—is believed to be the way in which people make sense of their social worlds.