interactionism Flashcards
what are the 3 key thinkers of interactionism?
George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer, Erving Goffman
what was Mead a part of?
the Chicago School
what did the Chicago school promote?
New interpretivist framework becoming mainstream outside of the positivist perspective
what else did Mead promote?
pragmatism
what are the 4 ideas which define pragmatism?
- “Reality” does not exist “out there”, it is actively created as we act in and toward the world during interactions
- People base their knowledge of the world on what is useful and what works – notion of what is true in positivism and interactionism differs, uninterested in objective truth
- People define the social and physical ‘objects’ they encounter according to their use for them
- Our understanding of actors should be based on what they actually do – practical interactions and actions
where else did Herbert Mead end up working?
the University of Michigan
who was Mead associated with at the University of Michigan?
Charles Cooley and John Dewey
who was William James?
a famous pragmatist
what did William James look at within the Varieties of Religious Experience?
Looked at all different modes of experiencing the divine
what perspective did William James take within the Varieties of Religious Experience?
Took all his findings very seriously, as he believed they are real because they have an effect since people’s lives are changed due to these experiences
How did Mead feel ‘the self’ emerged?
the self emerges in sociality
How can humans also see themselves which separates them from other animals? (2)
Ability to imagine other perspectives and thus see themselves as objects
what are 4 aspects of the formation of the self?
imitation, role play, games, the generalised other
how did Mead feel about the world?
it pre-exists us, so we are thrown into a world with pre-existing meaning
what is imitation?
refers to the initial play of infants to imitate adults eg gender roles
what is role play? how does this make humans different from other animals?
human language allows for more complex forms of role play than other animals, seeing ourselves from other points of view due to the ability to swap roles
what are games?
appreciation of lots of different perspectives, which help children understand the more general workings of social life
what is the generalised other?
all the other ways we see ourselves, which affects how we act, children learn to adopt the attitudes of a social group or society
what are the 2 aspects of the self?
I and the me
what does I refer to within the aspects of the self?
subject position, creative and imaginative side of the self
what purpose does the I have within the aspects of the self?
helps to create change rather than just reflecting society
what does me refer to within the aspects of the self?
view of others on yourself, the judgemental and controlling side of the self
what purpose does the me have within the aspects of the self?
reflects the attitudes of other members of society, the embodied aspect of the structure vs agency paradigm
how do the I and the me interact?
The I counteracts the social constraining force of the Me, and the Me counteracts the individuality of the I
how do interactionists feel about structure and agency?
Do not exist separately from each other, only to be understood as interactional beings between structure and agency