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Social Psychology (10th Edition)
Social Psychology (10th Edition)
10th Edition
ISBN:9780134641287
Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Publisher:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Chapter1: Introducing Social Psychology
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The Conversation In this chapter, we concentrate on classical symbolic interactionism, the basic ideas of the movement, and the theoretical extensions most recognized in the com- munication field. George Herbert Mead usually is viewed as the founder of the symbolic interac- tionist movement, and his work formed the core of the Chicago School.20 Herbert Blumer, Mead's foremost apostlc, invented the term symbolic interactionism, an expres- sion Mead himself never used. Blumer refers to this label as "a somewhat barbaric ncologism that 1 coined in an offhand way.... The term somehow caught on."21 The three cardinal concepts in Mead's theory, captured in the title of his best- known work, are society, self, and mind."2 These categories are different aspects of the same general process called the social act, which is a complete unit of conduct that cannot be analyzed into specific subparts. An act may be short and simple, such as tying a shoe, or it may be long and complicated, like the fulfillment of a life plan. Acts relate to one another and build up throughout a lifetime. Acts begin with an impulse; they involve perception and assignment of meaning, mental rehearsal, weighing of alternatives, and consummation. In its most basic form, a social act involves a three-part relationship: an initial gesture from one individual, a response to that gesture by another, and a result. The result is what the act means for the communicators. Meaning docs not reside solely in any one of these things but in the triadic relationship of all three" For example, a robber indicates to the victim what is intended; the victim responds by giving money or belongings; the result is a holdup. Even individual acts, such as solitary walks or reading a book, are interactional because they are based on gestures and responses that occurred many times in the past and that continue in the mind of the individual. One never takes a walk by oneself without relying on meanings and actions learned in social interaction with others. Parents hold hands with toddlers while walking-using words to describe surroundings, expressing encouragement, and framing and discussing what is hap- pening. Walking is a social act because of the meanings associated with the sym- bolic interaction of walking learned over the course of a lifetime. The joint action between two or more people, such as occurs in marriage, trade, war, or church worship, consists of an interlinkage of smaller interactions. Blumer notes that in an advanced society, the largest portion of group action consists of highly recurrent, stable patterns that possess common and established meanings for their participants. Because of the frequency of such patterns and the stability of their meanings, scholars have tended to treat them as structures, forgetting their origins in interaction. Blumer warns us not to forget that new situations present problems requiring adjustment and redefinition. In a recent discussion of Si, Don- ald Ellis writes, "that macrotopics of sociology (e.g., ethnicity) are never actually scen but exist in and through the activities of individuals in microsituations."4 As one of many examples of large sociocultural concepts, ethnicity is not something you are born with-it is something you develop over a lifetime of interaction with other people. Interlinkages may be pervasive eytended and connected through complicated
Transcribed Image Text:The Conversation In this chapter, we concentrate on classical symbolic interactionism, the basic ideas of the movement, and the theoretical extensions most recognized in the com- munication field. George Herbert Mead usually is viewed as the founder of the symbolic interac- tionist movement, and his work formed the core of the Chicago School.20 Herbert Blumer, Mead's foremost apostlc, invented the term symbolic interactionism, an expres- sion Mead himself never used. Blumer refers to this label as "a somewhat barbaric ncologism that 1 coined in an offhand way.... The term somehow caught on."21 The three cardinal concepts in Mead's theory, captured in the title of his best- known work, are society, self, and mind."2 These categories are different aspects of the same general process called the social act, which is a complete unit of conduct that cannot be analyzed into specific subparts. An act may be short and simple, such as tying a shoe, or it may be long and complicated, like the fulfillment of a life plan. Acts relate to one another and build up throughout a lifetime. Acts begin with an impulse; they involve perception and assignment of meaning, mental rehearsal, weighing of alternatives, and consummation. In its most basic form, a social act involves a three-part relationship: an initial gesture from one individual, a response to that gesture by another, and a result. The result is what the act means for the communicators. Meaning docs not reside solely in any one of these things but in the triadic relationship of all three" For example, a robber indicates to the victim what is intended; the victim responds by giving money or belongings; the result is a holdup. Even individual acts, such as solitary walks or reading a book, are interactional because they are based on gestures and responses that occurred many times in the past and that continue in the mind of the individual. One never takes a walk by oneself without relying on meanings and actions learned in social interaction with others. Parents hold hands with toddlers while walking-using words to describe surroundings, expressing encouragement, and framing and discussing what is hap- pening. Walking is a social act because of the meanings associated with the sym- bolic interaction of walking learned over the course of a lifetime. The joint action between two or more people, such as occurs in marriage, trade, war, or church worship, consists of an interlinkage of smaller interactions. Blumer notes that in an advanced society, the largest portion of group action consists of highly recurrent, stable patterns that possess common and established meanings for their participants. Because of the frequency of such patterns and the stability of their meanings, scholars have tended to treat them as structures, forgetting their origins in interaction. Blumer warns us not to forget that new situations present problems requiring adjustment and redefinition. In a recent discussion of Si, Don- ald Ellis writes, "that macrotopics of sociology (e.g., ethnicity) are never actually scen but exist in and through the activities of individuals in microsituations."4 As one of many examples of large sociocultural concepts, ethnicity is not something you are born with-it is something you develop over a lifetime of interaction with other people. Interlinkages may be pervasive eytended and connected through complicated
The Sociocultural Tradition Sociocultural theories of the conversation take us in a very different direction from the work summarized in the previous section. In this section, we encounter explanations of how conversations create our social worlds, how meaning arises in conversation, and how symbols are defined through interaction. Three areas of the- ories-symbolic interactionism, conversation analysis, and face-negotiation the- ory-tell us what brings people together and how participants come to share meaning, as well as how communicators work together in a structured way to orga- nize their talk. Symbolic Interactionism We introduced symbolic interactionism in chapter 4 to describe the process by which the self is developed. Symbolic interactionism, a movement within sociology, focuses on the ways in which people form meaning and structure in society through conversation.18 Barbara Ballis Lal summarizes the premises of this movement: People make decisions and act in accordance with their subjective under- standines of the situations in which they find themselves.
Transcribed Image Text:The Sociocultural Tradition Sociocultural theories of the conversation take us in a very different direction from the work summarized in the previous section. In this section, we encounter explanations of how conversations create our social worlds, how meaning arises in conversation, and how symbols are defined through interaction. Three areas of the- ories-symbolic interactionism, conversation analysis, and face-negotiation the- ory-tell us what brings people together and how participants come to share meaning, as well as how communicators work together in a structured way to orga- nize their talk. Symbolic Interactionism We introduced symbolic interactionism in chapter 4 to describe the process by which the self is developed. Symbolic interactionism, a movement within sociology, focuses on the ways in which people form meaning and structure in society through conversation.18 Barbara Ballis Lal summarizes the premises of this movement: People make decisions and act in accordance with their subjective under- standines of the situations in which they find themselves.
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