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Symbolic Interactionism of George Herbert Mead - Essay Example

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A symbol can be defined simply as that stimulus with a learned meaning derived out of it and a value for people who perceive it to be important or necessary. Symbolic interactionism, however, is how people get to interpret events and objects that exist or goes on around…
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Symbolic Interactionism of George Herbert Mead
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This theory is more of how the human world nature and the people in it act in relation to it, with the main interest being on how everyone constructs and develop the real meaning and better understanding of self, others and behavior through the means of social interactions. This theory, as expounded on by George Herbert Mead in the early twentieth century, is a framework that enables for the enhanced understanding and interpretation of how information flows and the communicating individuals or groups smoothly and efficiently interact with each other through the appropriate use of symbols.

Within the context of this theory, people are believed to inhibit a world that is mainly socially composed, as the meaning of objects, events, and everyday’s behaviors originate from the human given interpretations which may vary from one person or group to another depending on how the communicated idea is perceived. According to Mead explanation on this ideology of symbolic interaction, the society or people are seen as not to react with every event directly but rather are dictated depending on their interpretations of the meanings derived from the events or actions.

Therefore, it is important to note that according to this theory of Symbol Interactionism by George Herbert Mead, the particular choice of words that people use in the description of human behaviors i.e. of themselves and that of other individuals are quite important. As can be derived from the description and the introduction development, this theory by Mead identifies three key principles which are meaning, language and thought as applied during communication process. The meaning of any action or event is never inherent in that particular event action.

Therefore it comes to our senses that “meaning” as can be perceived of an event is never pre-existing in a state of nature; arises from the social interactions as implied by the communicator to the receiver; and can always be

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