George Herbert Mead Students collaborated on Mind Self
George Herbert Mead • Students collaborated on Mind, Self, and Society (1934) • Symbolic Interaction - coined by Herbert Blumer
Symbolic Interaction Theory (SIT) • People act based on that arise in a situation • Individuals are , participants in social context
Three central themes driving SI A. Importance of meanings for human behavior B. Importance of self-concept C. Relationship b/w individual & society These result in 7 assumptions of SIT…
Assumptions of SI A. Importance of meanings for human behavior – Assumptions: 1. Humans act towards others on the basis of meanings others have for them 2. Meaning created people 3. Meaning modified through process
Assumptions of SI (cont. ) B. Importance of self-concept – Assumptions: 4. Individuals develop interaction with others through 5. Self-concepts provide important motive for behavior – self is a process i.
Assumptions of SI (cont. ) C. Relationship b/w individual & society – Assumptions: 6. People & groups influenced by cultural & social processes 7. Social structure worked out through social interaction – We can modify situations; humans as choice makers
YOU Assess SI – Scope – breadth of behaviors covered – Logical consistency – concepts work together & show what results from their interactions – Parsimony – simplicity of explanation – Utility – usefulness or practicality – Testability – ability to investigate – Heurism – amount of new research/thinking stimulated – Test of Time
Scholarly Strengths of SI • • • – Applications in a variety of contexts
Scholarly Criticisms of SI • – Too vague & broad • – Focuses too much on individual – Fails to explain emotions & self-esteem •
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