Nursing theories

Symbolic interactionism

Key points

• Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theoretical framework and perspective in sociology that addresses how society is created and maintained through repeated interactions among individuals.²
• The emergence of symbolic interactionism was a response to the mainstream perspectives on society that dominated sociology at the mid-twenteeth century, such as Talcott Parsons’s structural functionalism.²
• Symbolic interactionism asserts that meaning is not inherent and is rather constructed through multiple interactions in certain times and contexts.⁴
  

Major Concepts

• Symbolic interactionism was developed to understand the operation of society from the ‘bottom up,’ shifting the focus to micro-level processes that emerge during face-to-face encounters in order to explain the operation of society.
• Common understanding was developed through the mundane acts of daily interaction.
• Symbolic interaction is a process shaped through individual behaviors and it is conveyed and interpreted symbolically with the help of daily actions.⁵
• Symbolic interaction emphasizes the microprocesses through which individuals construct meaning, identity, and collective actions.⁴
• Significant symbol refers to words, images, phrases, or ideas that serve to define what an organization is, who the members are, what activities take place there, and what are the core values that guide those activities.⁶

Three premises of Symbolic Interactionism:⁷

1. "Humans 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. "The Meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he/she encounters."

Conclusion

• Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical perspective in sociology that addresses the manner in which society is created and maintained through face-to-face, repeated, meaningful interactions among individuals.⁸

References

1. Symbolic Interactionism - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/symbolic-interactionism
2. Carter M, Fuller C. Symbolic Interactionism. Sociopedia.isa. 2015 Jan 1;
3. Kotarba JA. Symbolic Interaction and Applied Social Research. Symb Interact. 2014 Aug;37(3):412–25.
4. Franzese A, Seigler C. Symbolic Interactionism. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, editors. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences [Internet]. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020 [cited 2024 Sep 18]. p. 5342–6. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_2125
5. The Impact of Symbolic Interactionism on Research - ProQuest [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://www.proquest.com/docview/1768593872?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
6. Mead GH. Mind, Self, and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. University of Chicago Press: Chicago; 1934. (Mind, Self, and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist).
7. Blumer H. Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. University of California Press; 1986. 228 p.
8. Carter MJ, Fuller C. Symbols, meaning, and action: The past, present, and future of symbolic interactionism. Curr Sociol. 2016 Oct 1;64(6):931–61.