Mead's symbolic interaction theory - Essay Example

Another difference that exists between the humans and infrahumans is the communication types that are used. In the infrahuman, communication is usually gestural and takes place with an immediate effect, without being interrupted for the purpose of either assigning meaning or interpreting. Human communication, on the other hand, is meaningful and gestures have meanings assigned to them and the gestures do not call for immediate responses. There is also the essence of self. Self is the term used in referring to the reflective, conscious personality of the person (Wood 1992).

Self is the entity that is envisioned by person whenever he/she tries to think about who they are. It is crucial to know that the idea of self can only be understood fully through role-taking. For a person to be able to look upon himself, he must have the capability to take over the role of another. The basic work of Herbert Mead was regarded to as symbolic interactionism. The work bore the name of Herbert Blumer, who inherited it from the famous social psychology course. The inheritance was after Mead died and then Blumer became an advocate of the symbolic interactions persistently.

It would be hard for Mead to approve this label, more significantly, symbolic interactionism, since it has undergone evolution since more than sixty years ago, has seemed to lay its focus on the changes of self-more rather than either interaction or symbols, unlike what Blumer was an advocate for the reactions of people when they are interacting with others in the social settings which are governed by the conception that they possess. Gyroscope acts as a form of self serves and helps in keeping in line and consistent.

Moreover, as the emphasis has been increasingly in the theory of symbolic interactionism, the motivation of individuals arises from verification of their self-sense before the eyes of others. The idea of identity