This book presents an overview of that theoretical framework known
as symbolic interactionism. It details the major intellectual and
philosophical antecedents of the interactionist perspective, i.e.,
evolutionism, Scottish moral philosophy, German idealism,
pragmatism, and functional psychology. Under the heading
evolutionism, the Darwinian notion of the mutually determinative
relationship existing between environments and organisms is
discussed, as are Henri Bergson's conceptions of the nature of
radical, abrupt departures from earlier life forms and of the
emergence of novel events. Scottish moral philosophers are dealt
with in terms of their contribution to the conceptual inventory of
symbolic interactionism. Of particular relevance here are concepts
such as the impartial spectator 'sympathy', the 'I', the 'Me',
'role taking', 'generalized other', and 'looking-glass self.' Those
German idealists exerting an impact on George Herbert Mead and
symbolic interactionism, namely, Fichte, Von Schelling, Kant, and
Hegel receive mention. American pragmatic philosophy is then
summarized, and special attention is given to the writings of
Charles S. Pierce, William James, and John Dewey. The second
chapter discusses the major early interactionists, i.e., Charles
Horton Cooley, William Isaac Thomas, and George Herbert Mead. Part
two discusses the principal varieties of contemporary symbolic
interactionism. Major 'schools' receiving attention are the
'Chicago School', the 'Iowa School', the 'Dramaturgical Genre', and
'Ethnomethodology.' A unique feature of this section is that it
ends with an attempt to provide a single sentence description of
the symbolic interactionist viewpoint. Mead's writings are dealt
with in terms of his utilization of such pivotal concepts as
symbols, role taking, self, society, and mind. A listing of the
primary characteristics of the early interactionism closes out this
section of the book. The third section provides a representative
set of criticisms of interactionism. They are provided by
interactionists and also by those who favor other sociological
orientations. Both early and contemporary interactionism come under
fire, and the criticisms range from the mild to the sharp. The
perspective stands accused, by friend and foe alike, of being
quaint, ahistorical, noneconomic, imprecise, and apolitical. It has
also ignored the unconscious and emotive components in human
behavior, and it manifests a rather strong astructural bias.
Interactionists may now be in the process of correcting these
defects.
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