Contemporary Sociological Theory, Part 3: Symbolic Interactionism - A Micro-Level Perspective

Symbolic Interactionism-creating meaning through social interactions
In the third part of this collaborative presentation, Dr. Lori Peek summarizes symbolic interactionism. The theory of symbolic interactionism is a “micro-level” sociological perspective. This means that it is a close-up study of social interaction and behavior based on how individuals interpret and ascribe meaning to a particular situation. This theory was created by the students of George Herbert Mead (1863-1931). His work and thinking focused on small-scale processes, particularly how individuals create meaning through interaction and communication with each other. This can be around language, words, symbols (e.g., the American flag), etc. People act in relation to symbols and how they do this is based on the social meaning that a symbol has taken on for them based on their social interactions. Therefore, symbols are culturally derived social objects and individuals may differ vastly in how they interpret a symbol depending on their social sphere and interactions.
Constructivism is an extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is socially constructed. Under symbolic interactionist theory, people exhibiting the same behavior in two different cultures, may be perceived as interacting positively in one society, but not in another. Dr. Peek describes eight key tenets of symbolic interactionism and describes why this micro-level perspective is very much a part of contemporary sociological thinking. She also describes how those using this perspective approach research; for instance, she posits questions, such as: How does someone develop an identity as an environmental activist? How do environmental activists interact with one another and how is that conditioned by race, class, gender, and age? What are particular environmental values that people hold and how might those values be changed by interactions with institutions, with political systems, and so forth?