Concept of Groupthink and Symbolic Interactionism - Essay Example

I headed towards the wicket to take the bat, but the boy I had taken the wicket of before refused to give it to me. When I asked the reason, he said, “You need to run. Batting is not for you. You need to lose weight.” Other boys joined in and supported him in his idea. Not only did they not let me bat, but they also made fun of me. Although I felt very bad deep inside, I could not voice my thoughts because I was alone and they were so many.

            This topic is related to sociology because it reflects several sociological topics. For example, it reflects the concept of groupthink. As part of the group, I was not able to say something that I deemed right but the whole group considered it wrong. I was basically influenced by the rest of the group members although I thought differently. The worst part of the experience was that I continued to play with them till the match was finished and it felt so bad. Another area of sociology that my experience relates to is psychology. As I mentioned before, this traumatic experience kept me from playing cricket because I was made to think that I was overweight even though I was not at least in my late childhood or adulthood. A self-consciousness was induced in me in early childhood that was a very irritating and discomforting feeling that I could not get rid of for many years to follow.

            Symbolic interactionism can be defined as the way we interpret things and assign them meanings in the world with the help of our interactions with the people around us. This theory elaborates on how people interact with one another using symbols. According to the theory of symbolic interactionism, our behavior is affected by the self-concept. I have experienced this as a consequence of the experience I have shared above. My group made me think that I was overweight and not fit for bowling in cricket. I became self-conscious and attempted to change my diet in such a way that I could lower my fat consumption. It is too awkward for a child to try to cut down on fat intake but I have experienced this because I had been made to think that I was overweight. Now that so many years have passed since then, I realize that I had overreacted to the situation and went too ahead in trying to make a change that was totally unworthy of my attention.