Symbolic Interactionism

A school of thought in the social and behavioral sciences that emphasizes the socially constructed nature of meaning and human actions. This means that what people do and how they interact with each other, with objects, and with the environment are based on how they interpret the meaningfulness of these things. Those meanings are not inherent in the objects, but they are developed as a result of the social interactions between actors in a situation; and the ways in which everyone acts toward the object result in the understanding of it and its meanings. Meaning isn't recognized in an object but rather is developed through the use of that object. In this approach, every human act deals with the creation of meanings that are the result of social relations. Meanings are generated and regenerated as actions, actors, and situations change. This is different from most sociological or psychological research, which treats meaning as either fixed or peripheral to the research interest. Research on symbolic interaction is qualitative and consists of directly observing behavior and defining the situation in which that behavior is conducted. The originator of the term symbolic interactionism, Herbert Blumer, called these studies “naturalistic” and “down-to-earth” rather than abstract and removed from everyday life. All symbolic interactionist research is interested in human conduct in groups rather than in individual behavior. For more information, see Blumer (1969).