Interactionism

1. Interactionism Janice Woodroffe Deb Porter March 9, 2004

2. Interactionism: “A theoretical position assuming that the individual is not only influenced by his/her environment, but that s/he also influences his/her environment. The emphasis is on the person taking an active, or constructive, part in his/her development.” (http://www.psybox.com/web_dictionary/Interactionism.htm.)

3. Functionalism Interactionism Roles and Interaction

4. Functionalism • Macro-Emphasizes larger units such as institutions or cultures • Demands of roles and social interaction are situational • Enforced by sanctions of the group • Deviance and individual difference is abnormal • Parsons and Merton are functionalists

5. Interactionism • Micro-Emphasizes individuals • Focus on subjective aspects of social life • Studies communication between individuals and groups • Communicates with symbols which are meaningful • Deviance and individual differences are more tolerated

6. “Human behavior is interpreted as a response to the symbolic act of others.” (www.dhep.astate.edu/role/roletwotwoperspectives.htm)

7. Notables in Developing Interactionism Walter Mischel (1930- ) Max Weber (1864-1920) George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929) Harry Stack Sullivan (1892-1949) Herbert Blumer (1900-1987) Manford Kuhn (d.1963) Irving (Erving) Goffman (1922-1982)

8. Walter Mischel: Situationism • Challenged the use of subjective measures • Developed the theory of situationism (1930- ) “A personality system is characterized by available cognitive and affective units…When certain configurations of situation features are experienced by the individual…, a subset of cognitions and affects become activated.” - Mischel (Endler and Edwards. Interactionism in Personality in the 20th Century. ERIC NO ED250622)

9. InteractionismCurrent Interpretation Behavior is jointly determined by: underlying dispositions situations

10. Early Interactionists Weber and Mead both emphasized: • the subjective meaning of human behavior • the social process, and pragmatism.

11. Charles Horton Cooley Noted for concepts • of “primary group” • the “looking glass self.” (1864-1929)

12. George Herbert Mead • “Father of Symbolic Interactionism” • Called his approach “social behaviourism” • “I” = self-conception • “Me” = views of others • Students published his works post-humously in Mind, Self and Society (1863-1931)

13. Herbert Blumer • Coined the term “symbolic interaction” • Student of Mead • Interactionism = practical approach to scientific study of human conduct (1900-1987)

14. Irving Goffman • The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life • “The Shakespeare of Interactionism” • Dramaturgy (1863-1931)

15. Studied interpersonal relations Believed personality is couched in inter-personal relationships Harry Stack Sullivan

16. Manford Kuhn • Developed “Iowa School” of symbolic interactionism • Began using Symbolic Interactionism to generate and interpret • qualitative data • statistical data

17. Today few psychologists believe in strictly a nurture perspective or a nature perspective. Most would ask, "Is this action due to biological influence or to experience?"

18. Definition of Perspective “Interactionism is a social-psychological theory that the self is formed by interacting with others and that social life depends on the ability to imagine ourselves in other social roles.”(Nordby, Steven. A Glossary of Gifted Education Members.aol.com/ svennord/ed/GiftedGlossary.htm)

19. Symbolic InteractionismCore Principles Meaning Language Thought

20. MeaningConstruction of Social Reality Human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings those things have for them.

21. LanguageSource of Meaning Meaning arises out of the interaction of the individual with others.

22. ThoughtInterpretive Process An interpretive process is used by the person in each instance in which he must deal with things in his environment.

23. Three Principles(Meaning, Language, Structure) “I” “Selves” “Me”

24. Belief Regarding Basic Nature • Baby becomes a “self” by taking attitudes of others • Language and symbolic communication allow for free human action from natural determinism • Body can influence the mind, which has no dimension or mass • Pragmatic actors continually adjust their behavior to the actions of others

25. Interactionists see humans as active, creative participants who construct their social world and not as passive, conforming objects of socialization.

26. Choice vs. Determinism • Actors produce patterns of interaction • Social structure guides human behavior rather than rigidly determining it INTERACTIONISM Choice Determinism

27. Etiology of Healthy Personality • Baby progresses from self-involvement, to pretend play, to symbols. • We have many selves/roles • The ability to adjust between “selves” keeps us mentally healthy

28. Language acquisition process impeded Subjective reality person’s interpretation of the situation Boulder University football team Etiology of Unhealthy Personality

29. Deviance transmitted through socialization • Primary deviance • isolated acts by a person • Secondary deviance • deviance as a lifestyle and a personal identity

30. Restrictiveness Permissiveness Active, socially outgoing, creative, successfully aggressive (Baldwin) Minimal rule enforcement, boys (Maccoby) Facilitates adult role taking (Levin) Minimal self-aggression, boys (Sears) Independent, friendly, creative, low project hostility (Watson) Warmth Submissive, dependent, polite, neat, obedient (Levy) Minimal Aggression (Sears) Maximum Rule enforcement, boys (Maccoby) Dependant, not friendly, not creative (Watson) Maximal Compliance (Meyers) Hostility “Neurotic” problems (clinical studies) More quarreling and shyness w/peers (Watson) Socially withdrawn (Baldwin) Low in adult role taking (Levin) Maximal self-aggression, boys (Sears) Delinquency (Glueks, Bandura & Walters) Noncompliance (Meyers) Maximal aggression (Sears)

31. Characteristics of Healthy Personality • Desired patterns of interaction flourish • Understanding of others • Retains individuality • Maximum participation in society • Self-realization is attained through the consummation of a distinct set of impulses • what brings fulfillment to one person may be different than what brings fulfillment to another

32. Characteristics of an Unhealthy Personality • Communicates in guarded, defensive, and sometimes bizarre ways • Misinterprets of symbols of others • misunderstands what someone says • misinterprets actions (shove vs. bump) • Self-imposes isolation • Becomes extremely frustrated with the selves • Rejects accepted norms - antisocial

33. Characteristics of an Unhealthy Personality • Lacks a “conscience” • Cannot comprehend the social consequences of their actions • Acts in a way that doesn’t conform to underlying private attitudes and preoccupations. In lay terms this is called “putting on a false front” • Exhibits schizophrenic actions • Exhibits anxious actions

34. Guidelines for Assessing Personality • Careful observation • Interview in which a special kind of interpersonal relationship is developed • Ability to pay attention to detail • Evaluation of inappropriate or maladaptive behavior • bothering others in terms of chronicity, frequency, or intensity

35. Guidelines for Assessing Interaction of Groups • Researcher must immerse himself in the group • Focus on face-to-face interactions Methods • Observation • Sampling over time and situations • Interviews

36. Guidelines for Intervention • Intervene if the individual’s community is negatively affected by the individual’s actions • Intervene if the individual is concerned about his/her own self

37. Examples of Possible Interventions • Ameliorate as many environmental problems as possible for the individual. • Values clarification program for the individual • Role playing during therapy or other appropriate situations

38. Intervention Guidelines for Society • Identify different definitions of the problem and the program being evaluated • teenager’s vs. social worker’s interpretation of foster parent • Locate the assumptions that are held by various interested parties • show assumptions as correct or incorrect • Identify strategic points of intervention into social situations • evaluate and improve the services of agencies and programs

39. Intervention Guidelines for Society • Identify strategic points of intervention into social situations • evaluate and improve the services of agencies and programs • Suggest alternative moral points of view that can be applied • such as to a problem or a policy • Use more qualitative materials to expose the limits • of statistics and statistical evaluations for assessing a certain problem, policy, etc.

40. Examples of Societal Interventions • Parenting classes • Prevention programs such as Head Start • Early identification programs for children at risk.

41. Assets of Interactionism • Very encompassing • Theory in process • great influence on later humanistic/interpretive theories • Allows direct input from person(s) involved • Blumer had a profound effect on methodology

42. Limitations of Interactionism • Theory is vague • hard to summarize • Lacks clarity • Differing interpretations • different people have attached different meanings to the theory • Some theorists overstate their case • as when Mead differentiates humans from other animals • Assessment may be unreliable • subjective measures

43. Case Studies • Child in Nicaragua • Ed Gein

44. Implications for Educators Symbols: • Are critical to knowledge acquisition • Increase learner’s ability to • think • perform problem-solving activities • Promote active learning, especially for • gifted students • underachieving students • Allow for development of individuality Student centered methods give students more opportunity to interact

45. References American Sociological Association. (2003). Blumer.jpg.Retrieved February 28, 2004 from http://www.asanet.org/governance/blumer.html American Sociolgical Association. Goffman1.jpg. Retrieved February 15, 2004, from http://www.cla.sc.edu/socy/faculty/deflem/theory/goffman Charon, J.M. (2004). Symbolic Interactionism (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Cohen, P.R. (2001). Interactionism. Retrieved January 24, 2004, from Experimental Knowledge Systems Laboratory (EKSL), University of Massachusetts Web site: http://www-eksl.cs.umass.edu/research/conceptual-systems/slide5.html Columbia School of Psychology. Walter Mischel. Mischel.gif. Retrieved February 28, 2003, from Columbia University Web site: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/psychology/indiv_pages/mischel.html Craighead, W.E., & Nemeroff, C. B. (Ed.). (2001). The Corsinie Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science (3rd ed., Vols. 4 & 5). New York: John Wiley and Sons. Denzin, N.K. (2001). Interpretive Interactionism(3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. Deviance and Social Control. (2003). Sociology and You (chap. 7). Retrieved February 17, 2004, from Glencoe McGraw-Hill Web site: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/sociology/sy2003/content.php4/240/1

46. References Donohue-Lynch, B. Symbolic Interactionists. Retrieved February 17, 2004, from Quinebaug Valley Community College Web site: http://www.qvctc.commnet.edu/brian/soc/tsld012.htm Ed Gein American Psycho. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2004 from http://www.houseofhorrors.com/gein.htm Ettinger, R.H., Crooks, R.L., Stein, J. (1994). Psychology: Science, Behavior, and Life. (3rd ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace. Frank, A.W. Sociology 333 – Introduction to Symbolic Interactionism (S.I.). Frost, C. Sullivan. Retrieved March 6, 2004, from Middle Tennessee State University Web site: http://www.mtsu.edu/~socwork/frost/soc/thera/SULLIVAN.htm Gordon, C. (2002). ESL Glossary: Definitions of common ESL/EFL terms: Interactionism. Retrieved January 24, 2004, from http://bogglesworld.com/glossary/interactionism.htm George Herbert Mead|Philosophy. Faculty_img25_lrg.jpg. Retrieved March 3, 2004 from Chicago University Web site: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/projects/centcat/centcats/fac/facch12_01.html Gingrich, P. (2000). Symbolic Interactionism. Retrieved February 4, 2004, from University of Regina Web site: http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/f100.htmGray, P. (1991). Psychology Second Edition. New York: Worth. House Atreides-Symbolic Interactionism As Defined by Herbert Blumer. (2001). Retrieved February 13, 2004, from http://www.cdharris.net/text/blumer.html

47. References Leonard, D.C. (2002). Learning Theories. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Losh, S.C. (2002). Guide 5: Personality and the Self. Theories of Social Psychology. Retrieved February 6, 2004, from Florida State University Web site: http://syp5105-01.fa02.fsu.edu/Guide5.html#SYMBOLIC%20INTERACTIONISM Maccoby, E.E. & Martin, J.A. (1983). In P. H. Mussen & E. M. Hetherington (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol. IVSocialization, Personality, and Social Development. New York: John Wiley & Sons. McClelland, K. (2000). Introduction to Sociology. Retrieved February 4, 2004, from Grinnell College Web site: http://web.grinnell.edu/courses/soc/s00/soc111-01/IntroTheories/Symbolic.html McLaughlin, D. Critique on Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism Theory. Symbolic Interactionism (chap. 7). Retrieved February 6, 2004, from Ohio University Web site: http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~dm419397/sicrit.htm Naughton, F.O. (1997) Stress and Coping Retrieved February 6, 2004, from California State University, Northridge Web site: http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/coping.htm Nordby, S.M. (2002). A Glossary of Gifted Education. Retrieved February 13, 2004, from http://www.members.aol.com/svennord/ed/GiftedGlossary.htm Philosophy Online. (2003). Retrieved February 4, 2004, from http://www.philosophyonline.co.uk/pom/pom_interactionism.htm

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