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SymbolicInteractionismContent•Cooley:Looking-glassselfandsocialself•Thomas:thedefinitionofthesituation•Mead:play,gameandthegeneralizedother•ReferencesforErvingGoffmanCooley:Looking-GlassSelf•Asocialselfmightbecalledthereflectedorlooking-glassself:eachtoeachalooking-glass,reflectstheotherthatdothpass.•Asweseeourface,figure,anddressintheglass,andareinterestedinthembecausetheyareours,andpleasedorotherwisewiththemaccordingastheydoordonotanswertowhatweshouldlikethemtobe;soinimaginationweperceiveinanother’smindsomethoughtofourappearance,manners,aims,deeds,character,friends,andsoon,andarevariouslyaffectedbyit.ThreePrincipalElementsofSelf-Idea•Theimaginationofourappearancetotheotherperson;•Theimaginationofhisjudgmentofthatappearanceandsomesortofself-feeling,suchasprideormortificationThomas:DefinitionoftheSituation•Thehigheranimals,andaboveallman,havethepowerofrefusingtoobeyastimulationwhichtheyfollowedatanearliertime.Responsetotheearlierstimulationmayhavehadpainfulconsequencesandsotheruleorhabitinthissituationischanged.Wecallthisabilitythepowerofinhibition,anditisdependentonthefactthatthenervoussystemcarriesmemoriesorrecordsofpastexperiences.Atthispointthedeterminationofactionnolongercomesexclusivelyfromoutsidesourcesbutislocatedwithintheorganismitself.•Preliminarytoanyself-determinedactofbehaviorthereisalwaysastageofexaminationanddeliberationwhichwemaycallthedefinitionofthesituation.Andactuallynotonlyconcreteactsaredependentonthedefinitionofthesituation,butgraduallyawholelife-polityandthepersonalityoftheindividualhimselffollowfromaseriesofsuchdefinitions.Mead:Play,theGame,andtheGeneralizedother•Thefundamentaldifferencebetweenthegameandplayisthatinthelatterthechildmusthavetheattitudeofalltheothersinvolvedinthatgame.Theattitudesoftheotherplayerswhichtheparticipantassumesorganizeintoasortofunit,anditisthatorganizationwhichcontrolstheresponseoftheindividual.Theillustrationusedwasofapersonplayingbaseball.Eachoneofhisownactsisdeterminedbyhisassumptionoftheactionoftheotherswhoareplayingthegame.Whathedoesiscontrolledbyhisbeingeveryoneelseonthatteam,atleastinsofarasthoseattitudesaffecthisownparticularresponse.Wegetthenan“other”whichisanorganizationoftheattitudesofthoseinvolvedinthesameprocess.Play,theGame,andtheGeneralizedother•Theorganizedcommunityorsocialgroupwhichgivestotheindividualhisunityofselfmaybecalled“thegeneralizedother.”Theattitudeofthegeneralizedotheristheattitudeofthewholecommunity.Thus,forexample,inthecaseofsuchasocialgroupasaballteam,theteamisthegeneralizedotherinsofarasitenters-asanorganizedprocessorsocialactivity-intotheexperienceofanyoneoftheindividualmembersofit“I”and“me”•The“I”istheresponseoftheorganismtotheattitudesoftheothers;the“me”istheorganizedsetofattitudesofotherswhichonehimselfassumes.Theattitudesoftheothersconstitutetheorganized“me”,andthenonereactstowardthatasan“I”.•Theselfistheabilitytotakeoneselfasanobject.Again,theselfariseswithinthesocialprocess.Thegeneralmechanismoftheselfistheabilityofpeopletoputthemselvesintheplaceofothers,toactasothersactandtoseethemselvesasothersseethem.Meadtracesthegenesisoftheselfthroughtheplayandgamestagesofchildhood.Especiallyimportantinthelatterstageistheemergenceofthegeneralizedother.Theabilitytoviewoneselffromthepointofviewofthecommunityisessentialtotheemergenceoftheselfaswellasoforganizedgroupactivities.Theselfalsohastwophases-the“I“,whichistheunpredictableandcreativeaspectoftheself,andthe“me“,whichistheorganizedsetofattitudesofothersassumedbytheactor.Socialcontrolismanifestthroughthe“me”,whilethe“I”isthesourceofinnovationinsocietyThePriorityoftheSocial•Wearenot,insocialpsychology,buildingupthebehaviorofthesocialgroupintermsofthebehaviorofseparateindividualscomposingit;rather,wearestartingoutwithagivensocialwholeofcomplexgroupactivity,intowhichweanalyze(aselements)thebehaviorofeachoftheseparateindividualscomposingit.Weattempt,thatis,toexplaintheconductofthesocialgroup,ratherthantoaccountfortheorganizedconductofthesocialgroupintermsoftheconductoftheseparateindividualsbelongingtoit.Forsocialpsychology,thewhole(society)ispriortothepart(theindividual),nottheparttothewhole;andthepartisexplainedintermsofthewhole,notthewholeintermsofthepartorparts.SymbolicInteractionism:BasicPrinciples•1.Humanbeing,unlikeloweranimals,areendowedwiththecapacityforthought.•2.Thecapacityforthoughtisshapedbysocialinteraction.•3.Insocialinteraction,peoplelearnthemeaningsandthesymbolsthatallowthemtoexercisetheirdistinctivelyhumancapacityforthought.•4.Meaningsandsymbolsallowtocarryondistinctivelyhumanactionandinteraction.•5.Peopleareabletomodifyoralterthemeaningsandsymbolsthattheyuseinactionandinteractiononthebasisoftheirinterpretationofthesituation•6.Peopleareabletomakethesemodificationsandalterationsbecause,inpart,oftheirabilitytointeractwiththemselves,whichallowsthemtoexaminepossiblecourseofaction,assesstheirrelativeadvantagesanddisadvantages,andthenchooseone.•7.TheintertwinedpatternsofactionandinteractionmakeupgroupsandsocietiesThreePremisesofSymbolicInteractionism•Symbolicinteractionis