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Interactionism Theory

The document discusses interactionism theory in sociology. Interactionism views society as emerging from human interactions and the meanings created through symbolic communication. It focuses on micro-level interactions rather than macro-level social structures. The theory proposes that individual and group behaviors emerge from the meanings things have for people based on social interactions and interpretation processes. It also discusses how interactionism involves social categorization, identification, and comparison, where people define themselves and others based on social groups.

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KIRTI PAWAR
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84 views

Interactionism Theory

The document discusses interactionism theory in sociology. Interactionism views society as emerging from human interactions and the meanings created through symbolic communication. It focuses on micro-level interactions rather than macro-level social structures. The theory proposes that individual and group behaviors emerge from the meanings things have for people based on social interactions and interpretation processes. It also discusses how interactionism involves social categorization, identification, and comparison, where people define themselves and others based on social groups.

Uploaded by

KIRTI PAWAR
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Interactionism theory

The theory stated that- every individual in society is a social manager, developing
significance and configuration through personal action. The duality of structure is shaped by
the bounded and constraints agency of human beings. Structural rules, material resources and
processes are directly connected to gender, class, ethnicity, nation, culture and community.

In sociology, interactionism is the hypothetical tactic that derives communal processes such
as conflict, collaboration, and individuality formation from people interactions.
Interactionism is the sociological paradigm and also known as symbolic interactionism which
generally focuses on the relationship among people within a society. George Herbert Mead is
deliberated as the creator of symbolic interactionism. Interactionism is the defined as a micro
action theory rather than a structuralism. According to this theory, society is the products of
interactions between human beings and their understandings. More specifically this
framework discourses about the formation of society and how it is preserved through frequent
interaction among entities. The theory is dominated as the positivist approach inclined to
inspect society from top-down, centering the effect of macro-level institutions and social
edifices along with the constrains over individuals. This theory was created in the mid of
twentieth century and has become the one of the most leading sociological perceptions in the
present world.

Following assumptions developed by the interactionists for proving the practical application
of the theory and they are

 The behavior of human beings towards the things is depends on the meaning
possessed by the things for them.
 The meanings ascend out of the route of social communication.
 An interpretive process can be utilized to modify the proposed meanings which
include reflection of individuals by interacting with one another.
 Human beings develop experiences in the world in which they live.
 Self-interaction is intertwined with the communal.
 Everyday social life is constituted by their formation, dissolution, conflicts, etc.

This theory constitutes by three elements and they are social categorization, social
identification and social comparison.

Social categorization is the first perspective if the theory in which the individuals are
structured into social communities in terms of understanding the culture of the society. This
process enables us to define people involving the experiences learned from the society under
the respective cultural background. Social identity theory briefly explains that our society
defines the individuals on the basis of their category. Social categorization is the division of
similar cultured people into small groups. Depending on social circumstances the categories
also varied in multiple groups but the community will be less important. For example, people
can be classified by their professional, personal nature and many others systematic logics of
the society. The second phase is identification that includes that the individual will behave
and can be identified by some particular norms to represent the culture of the group to which
he belongs. For example, we can define an individual as an environmentalist if we noticed
practices of conserving natural resources in his nature by default. The self-esteem is directly
influenced by the status of the community they came from. The third process is of social
comparison, which is the phase of in which people are compare their group with others
groups. The comparison can be in any term, prestigious or social standing. For this, everyone
desired to maintain high social standing in their respective group for their self-esteem.

Four key elements that are needed to term as complete in nature. The first element is that the
theory is required to explain why different forms of leaderships demands different contexts.
The second elements reveal that the dynamic interaction between leaders and followers must
be defined by it specifically.

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