Symbolic+Internactionism

sociology wiki

Symbolic Interactionism & Marriage  Slowly, the meaning of marriage began to change...

1. Emotional satisfaction:Personality became more important in mate selection. More emphasis was put on intimacy so physical attraction became important. People expected their spouse to satisfy "each and every need" which led to more divorce.

2. The love symbol: Expectation that "true love" will be a constnat source of emotional satisfaction sets people up for crushed hopes. Blinds people to reality.

3. The meaning of children: In medieval times, children were thought to be "mini-adults." Now they have been fashioned into impressionable, vulnerable, and innocent human beings.

4. The meaning of parenthood: Parents are expected to not only care and nurture their child but make sure that they child reaches his/her full potential. This puts a burden on the parents and ultimately a strain on the marriage.

5. Marital Roles: Responsibilites of husband and wife used to be clearly defined. Today there are more vague guidelines which forces couples to work out their own roles. It strains the marriage to divide up responsibilities at home, work and with the children.

6. Perception of alternatives: More and more women began taking jobs outside of the home which made them think there was an alternative to staying in an unhappy marriage.

7. The meaning of divorce: Divorce used to be a symbol of failure, but not many see it as a symbol of freedom and new beginnings.

8. Change in the law: Laws have changed to accommodate the changing symbols. Example  An example of symbolic interactionism is the attitude each individual has toward a certain object like a pack of cigarettes. One person might see these objects as causes of cancer and death, whereas someone else might consider these items part of a really good time.

Analysis  Symbolic Interactionism is a field in sociology that resulted from various studies by sociologist such as George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer, and Charles Cooley. Symbolic Interactionism unlike many other fields of sociology reaches down to individuals instead of general groups. The definition of Symbolic Interactionism is rather quite simple, it is how an individual or a small group relates a symbol or a significance to another person or thing that changes the behavior of that individual accordingly. If a child is afraid of dogs, the symbol of a dog could be a demon that will scare the child and therefore mold the behavior of the child when encountered with a dog. Although many scientists came up with this idea, the term Symbolic Interactionism was coined by a scientist by the name of Herbert Blumer. He was a scholar studying under George Herbert Mead at the University of Chicago. Blumer created the three basic states of this idea and they are as follows (Direct Quotation) This is self-explanatory but to sum it up, first humans act towards object according to how they feel and think about the object. Second, symbols come from everyday life from the human and the object. Third, the symbol is modified and molded so the human can apply the symbol when encountered by the object. There is a society for the study of Symbolic Interactionism called the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction (SSSI). However there are several critiques of this ideaology because it refers to individuals and not societies which is what Sociology targets. Works Cited  1. Henslin, James M.. "The Sociological Perspective." //Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (8th Edition) (MySocLab Series)//. 8 ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2008. 21,22,23,24. Print.
 * 1) "Human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things."
 * 2) "The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with others and the society."
 * 3) "These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he/she encounters."

2. "Symbolic interactionism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. . 

Roles: Jennifer Park: WIKI Brian Shin: Analysis Jennifer Yang: Example/Analysis Mika Takahashi: Example Jae: Analysis Jessica: Interactive Activity jennifer park, brian shin, mika takahashi, jessica yun, jennifer yang, jae