SOC212H1 Lecture Notes - George Herbert Mead, Symbolic Interactionism, Racial Equality
Document Summary
Interested in social worlds that make up society. Meanings that shape actor"s social reality, not meanings imposed by sociologists. Si takes us as far as possible into the actors own perspective. Perspectives of symbolic interactionism: social meaning, behavior affected by meanings given to it. Interaction: meanings arise from social interaction, creation, people actively create meaning and interpret symbols (passive receiver and active creator) Looking-glass self: what audience reflects shapes a person"s sense of self. Communication through symbols shapes out definition of society and social situations. E. g. belief that job opportunities are plentiful will lead one to work hard towards promotion, even if they are not plentiful. E. g. marijuana defined as morally reprehensible - users are therefore bad people. Intellectual background: derived from wi thomas and the chicago school. If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences . Si is heir to the chicago school: prevalent in the 1960"s, after the dominance of functionalism.
