Symbolic Interactionism describes society as small groups of individuals interacting based on the various ways that people interpret their various cultural symbols such as spoken, written, and non-verbal language. Our behavior with and among other people (our interaction) is the result of our shared understanding of cultural symbols. This is a micro-level paradigm that describes small-scale processes and small-scale social systems; it is interested in individual behavior.
The most important aspect of the Symbolic Interactionist paradigm is not so much that it is interested in small groups—although that is of great importance—as its interest in the interpretation of cultural symbols. For Symbolic Interactionism, everything in society is based on how we interpret our cultural symbols—media images, language, stereotypes, perceptions, and belief systems. In the US, we have a long history of creating a social mythology that leads many of us to believe that the poor, the minorities, women, non-white, non-Christian people are somehow not as American as White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), and are somehow not as deserving of social approval as White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs). This social mythology is reinforced by the media's portrayal of non-white, non-middle class, non-Christian, etc. Americans as being disease-ridden, criminally-inclined, dangerous, and altogether unacceptable or barely acceptable in American society. This social mythology creates negative symbols that impact the actual, daily lives of the not-well-off, not Christian, not white, not female, etc. citizens and residents in our country. These negative symbols engender fear, hatred, neglect, and deliberate ignorance concerning the lives of those people in our country who are, in some socially defined way, out of the "mainstream" of American society.
Symbolic Interactionism does a very good job of explaining how various forms of language (including the images and the messages in the media) shape our interactions with one another and reinforce stereotypes.
The war in Iraq which began in 2003, according to the Symbolic Interactionist paradigm, is being fought to send a message to Islamic terrorists that the US cannot be attacked with impunity, and to support the image of non-white, non-Christian people as dangerous to our way of life.
The September 11, 2001 terrorists used the symbols of American power—the World Trade Center, New York City, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.—in order to deliver a message to the world concerning their perception that the United States is the cause of the misery of Muslims in the Middle East as well as throughout the world. The perception of reality is often more real than the concrete reality itself, because sometimes we act based on what we think or believe more strongly than on what is really real. The actions of the terrorists were a form of language, a method of communication that was extreme, because the message was extreme.
The socialization process is voluntary, and we can accept or reject the values and norms of society at will.
The values and norms of society change moment by moment based on our mutual, day-to-day interactions with one another.
People follow and accept the values and norms of society only if those values and norms serve their own needs and permit them to be more comfortable in their society.
The social structure exists only in the minds of individuals and small groups and has no objective reality; it is subjective/internal, abstract, voluntary, and in constant flux.
The social structure is based on social interaction, statuses, roles, groups, social networks, social institutions, and societies in which small groups and individuals create consensus.
The social structure is subjective, abstract, and constantly changing.
The social structure exists within every individual and it is through our everyday interactions with one another that the abstract social structure is created, and continuously re-created, every moment of every day.
The bureaucracy consists of groups of people interacting with one another in patterned ways, on a day-today basis.
The bureaucracy provides a mechanism for social intercourse among disparate groups and individuals.
The bureaucracy is a major characteristic of large-scale industrial societies.
The bureaucracy is the method by which large-scale formal organizations create interaction.
Deviance is conditional, situational, and relative to time, place, situation, and culture.
Deviance is based on the perceptions of individuals.
The language used to label groups or individuals as deviant, is highly symbolic and “coded.”
Individuals have the capacity to accept or reject the labels that society creates in the mirror.
Inequality is based on individual reactions to their own perceptions of the social structure.
Because the social structure is subjective, inequality is also subjective and based on individual interpretations.
Emphasizes exploring the changing meanings attached to family.
Shared activities help build emotional bonds.
Marriage and family relationships are based on negotiated meanings.
Social resources are brought to the marriage by each partner including education, physical attractiveness, intelligence and family status.
Schools play a vital role in shaping the way students see reality and themselves.
Authoritarianism prevalent in schools impedes learning and encourages undemocratic behavior later in life.
Schools create serious difficulties for students who are “labeled” as learning disabled or less academically competent than their peers; these students may never be able to see themselves as good students and move beyond these labels.
Teacher expectations play a huge role in student achievement. If students are made to feel like high achievers, they will act like high achievers, and vice versa.
Religion is a set of symbols that identify and join adherents.
Religion is shared among groups and between individuals.
Religion provides meaning.
