Symbolic Interactionism

A key premise of symbolic interactionism is that we act towards things on the basis of the meanings those things hold. Importantly, this theory argues that meanings are derived through social interaction in specific social settings. According to this perspective, the meanings we hold are not fixed or static, but rather are informed and modified by the people we are around and the environments we are in.

Symbolic interactionism also argues that people’s identities are formed and modified through interactions with others.

Symbolic interactionism is often considered a theory of the micro - of individuals and their everyday acts (including their meaning-making) - but SI views the social structure (i.e., the macro) as a product of human action and interaction. Thus, by looking at what people say and do, the meanings people give to things, and the ways those meanings are dynamically created and subject to change through human interaction and social context, provides a dynamic way to understand broader social patterns and processes, as well as social change.

SI helps us to understand why there is often a disconnect (or contradiction) between what people say and what they actually do. Individuals may profess a desire to marry, for example, in an interview or survey, but their actions may not actually be leading them to marriage (and they may not in fact marry over time). This is because our doings occur in interactions with others and in social settings and these elements influence what we actually do, regardless of our beliefs or our professed desire.

This theory stands in contrast to theories that imply individuals are rational beings. Instead, SI points to the complexities and contradictions of human behaviour and emphasizes that our actions are unpredictable because they occur in dynamic interactional contexts.