Symbolic interactionism is a theory that has emerged in sociology and has reached other areas of knowledge, such as anthropology and social psychology, this theory analyzes human interactions and their meanings, from there we can understand the processes by which people become members of a society. In other words, symbolic interactionism studies social activities and their influence on self-construction.
The theory is based on interpretations, each person interprets reality differently. There are many possibilities for interpretation, but they will be more similar in people living in similar cultures and environments. One of the main cultural differences that create problems when traveling, for example, are symbols. If someone approaches someone else, I understand that it says “Stop!”, “Shut up!”, but a Greek would see the same gesture as an insult, and a Lebanese would think that I am trying to neutralize the evil energies of the evil eye.
- Symbolic interactionism has a position contrary to absolute truths.
- It says that there is not a single truth.
- But different truths located in different contexts.
- That is.
- The truth is different for each community.
- And often even for each individual.
- Understanding all these different truths.
- Interactionism studies the relationships between people and symbols: the ultimate goal is to understand individual identity and its relationships with social organization.
A classic example of symbolic interacting is found in tea consumption, this drink can be consumed in different rituals with different meanings, for example, tea is not the same for a European as for a Japanese.
Perhaps the European will have a tea to wake up to the ”caffeine-containing teas” and will not give much importance to the preparation or at the time of consumption. A Brazilian can have tea for diuretic purposes. A Japanese man, on the other hand, will perform a ritual preparation and have tea with a certain company, just like the Pakistanis. The meanings of tea will be different for each person.
In short, symbolic interactionism suggests that people define themselves taking into account the meaning of life in a specific context, since we are social animals, this sense of the individual will depend, to a large extent, on the interactions we have with other people. in our environment.
There are two great generations of symbolic interactionists offering different interpretations, the first considers that actions will always make sense, while the second considers social life as a theater.
At first, the proposal was for personal identity to be built through relationships with other people, relationships that always make sense, are symbolic. Therefore, the identity of each person would be formed in specific situations and places in relation to others, and the meaning of the person in these interactions would define personal and individual identity.
This proposal proposed that actions were more than automatic habits or behaviors, all actions can be interpreted. In this way, language was understood as the representation of the attitudes, intentions, positions and objectives of the speaker, language was understood as a form of interaction: through it reality was built.
The individual is, from this perspective, a representation that is built through language. In other words, the subject is constructed through meanings that circulate by interacting with other individuals through language. However, it is not the person who literally builds herself, but her self, the?I?identity.
The second generation has profoundly changed the theory, for them identity is understood as the result of the roles that people take in society, when we interact with other people we tend to adopt social roles, these are models of behavior defined by society. One way to understand roles is to watch reality shows on TV.
In these programs, participants will assume the same roles each season, there is always someone who contradicts everyone, another who feels lonely and cries a lot, some who end up forming a partner, etc. , assume a range of roles and that influences their behavior.
With this second generation, there is also a new perspective that people are actresses and actors; people act and play a role that is determined by this definition of social roles; we do what is expected of us based on the role we play at that time. The role of the student, the role of the mother, the role of the friend.
But this role is not played only when we interact with someone. We also do this in spaces and times when people aren’t watching our performances. That is, we end up internalizing these roles that we assume, adapting them to our identity.
The relationship between symbolic interactionism and psychology can be explained above all when we talk about social psychology, according to this line of thought, people form their social identities, which function as norms, and a predetermination of specific values. importantly, people are likely to follow these standards and values, acting within that role.
While social psychology transcends roles and acceptance of behavior guided by social norms, its origin is linked to symbolic interactionism, it is undeniable that people develop their identity, both individually and socially, when they interact with other people, therefore they build relationships with people. from different cultures and maintaining an openness to the new helps us get to know each other better, providing an opportunity to redefine our personal identity and change the way we understand the world to something closer to our essence.