Lecture Four: Sociological Perspectives/Theoretical Perspectives: SI
Chapter One: Read pages 13-15
Multimedia in Blackboard: Watch videos in the link titled – Sociological Perspectives
Thus far, we have examined macro level sociological theories of structural functionalism
and conflict theory. Symbolic interactionism is a sociological theory that explains social
life through a microanalysis framework. Symbolic interactionist sociologists view
society as individuals agreeing on meanings resulting from relationships or interactions.
Meanings are created through language both verbal and nonverbal.
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) is one of the fathers of symbolic interactionism.
Charles Cooley (1864-1929) and Irving Goffman (1922-1982) among others are also
considered major symbolic interactionism sociologists. Read pages 13-15 to understand
how symbolic interaction sociologists have shaped the theory and Henslin’s analysis of
divorce using symbolic interaction theory.
People cannot interact with each other without the use of symbols or language.
Interaction through symbols allows social life to exist as people communicate with
each other through language which is used to put definitions on thoughts, things, actions,
etc. Without language, cultures would not be able to exist. Language is also learned and
reflects our cultural upbringing. In fact, as we will examine later in the semester, complex
human thought is only possible because we have a learned and shared language.
Food for Thought: Think about thinking. Notice how you think in symbols or language.
Remember that language includes both verbal and nonverbal representations of life. Is
thought even possible without language or the use of symbols?
Symbols have cultural meanings attached to them and are expressed verbally and
nonverbally such as body language and gestures. Take for example the “thumbs up”
gesture and the various cultural meanings behind it:
“In the Unites States the thumbs up is used as a sign for approval and success, whereas
the thumbs down conveys the opposite. In Europe the thumbs up is also a signal for
goodbye, or a greeting in passing, especially among young people. The thumbs up sign in
Middle Eastern countries, Iran, Iraq and Thailand, is an extremely obscene gesture,
Do not plagiarize or copy from this document without using the appropriate citations.
R. Pires, 2014-2015. Material based on Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology. Pearson, 2015.
equivalent to flipping the finger in Europe. In India, the thumbs up, combined with a
wagging of the fist means, I doubt that will work” (Bright Hub Education).
Some years ago, the relationship between Iraq and the United States suffered after an
Iraqi journalist threw both of his shoes at President Bush during a news conference. In the
Middle East, bottoms of shoes are associated with dirt and so exposing the bottom of a
shoe or throwing a shoe at someone is culturally considered offensive and insulting.
There have been numerous studies by psychologists on nonverbal communication and
today social scientists generally agree that nonverbal communication such as gestures,
body language, expressions of emotions, written language, and so forth make up the
majority of our everyday communication. In fact, within the first few seconds of meeting
a stranger, we will have sized up the person before we even exchange our first greeting.
Food for Thought: What is the first thing you notice about a person when you first meet?
The next time you meet a person for the first time, pay close attention to the “story” you
have made up about this person.
The “story” we carry in our minds about individuals is influenced by how they present
themselves to us and the cultural stereotypes that we have about those representations.
Stereotypes are generalizations and they help us quickly assess how we should interact
with people. However since stereotypes are generalizations that often are not true, they
also have consequences on individuals and social life.
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis predicts that when people share the same language; words
then create certain mental images and those mental images might not exist among people
who speak different languages. The meanings of some words or phrases in one language
cannot necessarily be directly translated into another language because other cultures
might not share the same contextual framework for understanding.
It’s Your Turn: Pay close attention to the images in your mind as you read the following
words: cute, pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, bootyliscous.
Do not plagiarize or copy from this document without using the appropriate citations.
R. Pires, 2014-2015. Material based on Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology. Pearson, 2015.
Symbolic interaction sociologists view social life as a social construction of reality. As
people (social) interact or communicate with each other they develop (construct) same or
similar understandings of social life (reality) that may or may not be logical or make
sense to people of other cultures.
Examples: the common understanding of race in the United States is that it is biological.
However, in most countries around the world people perceive race as social categories
related to ethnicities rather than biology. Conflict around the world is usually among
different cultural ethnic groups.
Another social construction of reality is the different degrees of eye contact that are
permissible or expected. In some cultures, direct eye contact is respectful while in others
direct eye contact with people of higher social status is disrespectful. There are further
nuances such as young and elderly, males and females, workplace and other expressions
of eye contact that are socially constructed within each culture.
As you can see, culture is the main component of the social construction of reality and
is influenced by geography, history, science, and current events among other factors.
Social change occurs as new cultural meanings and definitions are constructed through
the interactions between people. To understand societal changes, symbolic interaction
sociologists pay close attention to language and the meanings associated with words.
It’s Your Turn: Think about the meanings of the following words and determine who the
dominant group is and who the minority group is.
Bro
Manly
Hipster
Fat Cat, Jet Set
Hoe
Faggy
Geezer
Ghetto, Bougee
Cultural meanings we attach to words significantly influence our self-identities or
personalities. Individuals view themselves both in relation to the cultural meanings of
language (symbols) and in relation to others in our everyday lives (interactions).
Since we have a story in our minds about others, others have a story in their minds about
us. When people communicate with each other, each person in the interaction attempts to
change h/her behavior to accommodate what we believe the other person is thinking of
us. This is referred to as the looking glass self.
Examples of the Looking Glass Self:
Johnny acts like a clown because:
Carol checks her lip for mustard because:
Marty stopped throwing the “f-bomb” because:
His friends laugh at his jokes.
Janice looks at her when she wipes her lip.
His wife gave him a dirty look.
Do not plagiarize or copy from this document without using the appropriate citations.
R. Pires, 2014-2015. Material based on Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology. Pearson, 2015.
Over time, through our interactions with others, we start to notice patterns in how people
perceive us. The positive and/or negative perceptions and judgments that people such as
our parents, siblings, relatives, teachers, peers, friends, neighbors, co-workers, coaches,
etc. place on us slowly become engrained within our personalities or self-identities. The
self-fulfilling prophecy is the condition that occurs over time as we become the labels
that other people or groups of people have placed on us through verbal and nonverbal
interactions.
Examples of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy:
Jimmy gets failing grades because:
Sandra gets promotions at work because:
Lucy is a prostitute because:
His parents call him stupid.
Her friends put a lot of responsibilities on her.
Her father molested her as a teen.
It’s Your Turn: Growing up, were you aware of positive and/or negative labels that your
family members placed on you verbally and/or nonverbally? What about your teachers?
What were some of those labels? In what respects did you become those labels today?
As we fulfill the predictions (prophecies) that others place on us we then begin to view
social life within the prism of this identity. The Thomas Theorem states: “if people
define the situation as real, they are real in their consequences” (Henslin, 2015, pg. G-6).
This means that certain things happen to us because of the way we interpret or react to
issues or people around us.
Examples of the Thomas Theorem:
Definition
Rose is on academic probation and thinks this is
related to her exam anxieties. She was told as a
child that girls stay home and have babies and
this reinforces her belief she will never be
successful in college.
Frank is on academic probation and thinks this is
related to his exam anxieties. Frank was told as a
child that he can overcome obstacles if he sets his
mind to it.
Consequence
Rose drops out of college.
Frank seeks help from the DSPS and Counseling
centers on campus and within a couple of
semesters makes the Dean’s List.
Food for Thought: How do the above examples relate to the cultural stereotypes we have
about females and males? Think about what you read earlier about language and culture.
The looking glass self, self-fulfilling prophecy, and the Thomas Theorem are key terms
coined by three different sociologists and therefore the definitions are interrelated as
Cooley, Merton, and Thomas through their observations of society came to make similar
conclusions. Here are examples of all three of the concepts:
Do not plagiarize or copy from this document without using the appropriate citations.
R. Pires, 2014-2015. Material based on Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology. Pearson, 2015.
Looking Glass Self
Chantel
Chantel’s mom
constantly criticizes her
and controls her
activities. Chantel
works hard to get her
mother’s approval but
nothing she ever does
seems good enough.
Sean
Sean’s football coach
inspires him to be the
best athlete he can be.
Sean scores field goals
so that his coach can be
proud of him.
Self Fulfilling
Prophecy
Over time, Chantel
begins to see herself
through her mother’s
perceptions of her.
When she looks at
herself she criticizes
her own appearance
and believes she is
ugly.
Over time, Sean begins
to see himself through
his coach’s perceptions
of him. He plays
football with
confidence and
believes he is a good
leader.
Thomas Theorem
Chantel exercises and
diets obsessively. She
dies of anorexia
nervosa, a mental
disorder resulting in
individuals having a
distorted image of
themselves.
Sean receives a college
football scholarship
and his self-confidence
results in a highly paid
successful career in
business.
Goffman a symbolic interaction sociologist, examined how individuals attempt to control
the perceptions of others around them. His theory is referred to as: Dramaturgy. Using
the theatre as an example, Goffman viewed society as a stage and people as actors.
Impression management refers to people (actors) modifying or controlling their image
and behaviors (performance) in an attempt to influence what others (audience) think.
How people control their image depends on the social environment (stage).
Front stage involves places or settings that have cultural expectations of people being on
their best behavior and therefore involve people working hard to influence what others
think of them.
Back stage involves places or settings that have lower cultural expectations of people
being on their best behavior and therefore involve people being able to let their guard
down. This can involve places or settings where a person is alone or with confidants such
as certain family members, or close friends.
Face Saving involves teamwork in which people protect the image of another person in
awkward situations.
Food for Thought: Think about some of the techniques you use to manage the
perceptions of others of you. How do you modify your performance such as speech,
dress, hairstyle, etc. when you’re in front stage settings?
Examples:
Do not plagiarize or copy from this document without using the appropriate citations.
R. Pires, 2014-2015. Material based on Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology. Pearson, 2015.
Impression Management
Back Stage
Front Stage
Face Saving
Shelley prepares for the performance by getting
ready for work in the morning.
Shelley works as a customer relations manager at
a bank. She handles complaints and maintains a
professional attitude even when she wants to raise
her voice in response to rude customers.
Shelley protects the dignity of customers who get
turned down for loans due to bad credit ratings by
giving them an 800 number to call to determine if
there are any errors in their credit reports.
Garfinkel, a symbolic interaction sociologist, examined how people take for granted the
social construction of reality within their everyday life. He coined the term
ethnomethodology which is “the study of how people use background assumptions to
make sense out of life” (Henslin, 2015, pg. 119). Background assumptions are basic
cultural ideas about social life that when violated leave people confused and shocked.
Garfinkel had college students assist him in his study of social life by having them go out
into everyday social settings and challenge the norms (expectations for normal behaviors)
in different social settings. Today, the “breaking norm” assignment is popular among
sociology college professors and you can find lots of these student projects on You Tube.
Examples: Social media popularized “flash mobs” in which a group of people give a
planned but spontaneous in appearance performance (usually involves dancing). It is fun
to watch the reactions of people in these public places get caught off guard by the “mob.”
Food for Thought: What do you imagine might happen when a person who is waiting in
line at a McDonalds during lunch starts staring up at the ceiling?
In Chapters 4 and 5, you’ll read about macrosociology and microsociology in more
detail as Henslin gives examples of some of the key terms related to functionalism,
conflict and symbolic interactionism theoretical perspectives that we have covered.
Pop Quiz
What is the basic premise of symbolic interaction?
What makes social life possible according to symbolic interaction?
What are some examples of symbols?
How do symbolic interaction sociologists explain social change?
How does the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis relate to the social construction of reality?
What is meant by looking glass self, self-fulfilling prophecy, and the Thomas Theorem?
Why did Goffman compare his ideas about Dramaturgy on the theatre?
What is the difference between front stage and back stage?
What are background assumptions?
Why did Garfinkel create the study of ethnomethodology?
Do not plagiarize or copy from this document without using the appropriate citations.
R. Pires, 2014-2015. Material based on Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology. Pearson, 2015.