Interactionism Flashcards
Goffman
Dramaturgical metaphor: All people are just performing, particularly in social interactions. They present a front stage, which is a public image the actor is presenting to others (the audience). The backstage area is off limits to the audience, it has things that the actor does not wish for them to see. The front and backstages change depending on the audience and the role that the actor is playing
Becker
Labelling theory: Teachers give individuals labels, such as “clever” or “lazy”. These labels shape behaviour because the students will adopt the label, changing their behaviour to match it. Teachers also tend to spend more time with those that they have labelled positively, leading these students to do better. Teachers have an “ideal” student, most commonly described as white and middle class, therefore teachers spend more time with these pupils, leading them to be more successful
Rosenthal and Jacobsen
Self-fulfilling prophecy: An intelligence test was conducted on students, then students’ names were randomly given to their teachers and told that they were expected to make rapid advances in intelligence in the next six months. This meant that the teachers labelled these students “clever” and consequently treated them differently to others. After six months the intelligence test was conducted again and it was found that these students had made more progress than their fellow students, although the teachers could no longer remember the names given to them. The children were labelled intelligent, and they adapted their behaviour accordingly, making them more hard working, and so they became more intelligent
Cooley
Looking-glass self: A person’s sense of self (self-perception) grows out of a person’s social interaction with others, so we are what we believe others see us as. This is shaped through verbal and nonverbal cues. Therefore, people in our environment act as “mirrors” showing us ourselves
