Interactional Context and Intervention

Describing symbolic interactionism, Herbert Blumer argued that human behavior is dominated by the accomplishment of action, that action exists predominantly in interaction with other humans, [Page 730]and that the social organization of interaction has its own independent effects on meaning making. Erving Goffman similarly argued that, in interaction with others, individuals become accountable (i.e., socially responsible) for knowing, and acting in accordance with, a host of norms and rules that are unique to interaction itself. Goffman called this the “interaction order” because interaction involves a multitude of contexts that “order” individuals' behavior and understanding, and does so independently from traditional forms of context (e.g., sex, age, uncertainty, self-efficacy). Forms of interactional context can be added to those of interpersonal context outlined by Richard Street in ...