Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Research Articles

Heroes, Victims, and Resisters: Agentic Vulnerability and Techniques of Identity Talk in Digitalized Job Centers

This article explores vulnerable clients' techniques of identity talk, drawing on interviews with clients in Danish job centers. We combine the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism with the sociology of nothing to explore techniques of disidentification from the nonworker identity. The study demonstrates how the actors perform agentic vulnerability to resolve their identity dilemmas. We identify three techniques of identity talk: (1) hero‐talk to reassert their hard worker identity, (2) victim‐talk to excuse their current positions, and (3) resister‐talk through commissive and omissive responses to digital demands and requirements. The latter involves different forms of negational action: doing something, nondoing, and doing nothing.

A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective on EFL Students’ Attitudes Toward Ability Grouping

A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective on EFL Students’ Attitudes Toward Ability Grouping

Have they arrived at Galilee? The insights of emerging leaders in a long-term spiritual and faith formation programme

This study explored the perceptions of ongoing participants in the Galilee Spiritual and Faith Formation programme on the development of their personal and faith formation. The study used a constructivist paradigm, specifically that of interpretivism and employed a symbolic interactionist perspective to explore participant perceptions. The methodology for the study was an instrumental case study. Data were collected through a focus group interview with six participants and written responses from other two participants unable to attend the focus group. The results firstly indicated that continued involvement with the Galilee Spiritual and Faith Formation programme had made a positive impact on participants’ personal efficacy and confidence in their own spirituality and faith. Secondly, continued involvement in the Galilee programme had enhanced participants’ professional efficacy or confidence to lead others in deepening their spirituality and faith.

Analisis Kasus Bullying Pada Remaja Ditinjau Dari Perspektif Interaksionisme Simbolik

This paper aims to present an analysis of bullying that occurs in adolescents using the perspective of symbolic interactionism. The perspective focuses on social interaction, process, and meaning construction. This paper also discusses the complexity of bullying issues sociologically. The definition of bullying eventually becomes dynamic and is influenced by the process of observers in seeing the social interactions that occur. The factor of bullying becomes a crucial variable to fully understand the occurrence of bullying in adolescents. This paper uses qualitative research with a phenomenological approach with purposive sampling technique. The case study was conducted on students of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Jember.

The Functioning of the Self During the Interlinkage of Action: A Radical Interactionist Perspective

The present‐day state of our knowledge of the self as a soliloquy has not moved far beyond where the American pragmatists, John Dewey and George Herbert Mead, left it almost a century ago. Since their writings underpin the view of the self that current followers of the perspective of symbolic interactionism have adopted, their work still remain relevant today. To advance the development of the self as a soliloquy significantly beyond the point that it currently stands, however, I propose an explanation from the radical interactionist's perspective to account for the self's operation during the interlinkage of the individual acts that results, in conflictive or cooperative social acts. The individual act is reconceived from this new viewpoint, as unfolding over four stages: (1) need, (2) design, (3) re‐design, and (4) ending. While analyzing the self's operation during each one of these stages, I take special pains to explain the indispensable part that domination plays in bringing about their interlinkage, without which social acts of either type could not be completed. I argue that radical interactionism offers a more nuanced and realistic conception of the self's functioning during the interlinking of individual acts than its older cousin, symbolic interactionism, because unlike the latter, which rests on the assumption of sociality, the former is based on the assumption of domination. Thus, radical interactionism can much better account for how the self operates during the interlinking of individual acts that end in both conflictive and cooperative social acts and not only one or the other.

From the Perspective of Symbolic Interactionism -Understanding Reciprocal Relationships in Car Boot Markets

This research study explores the emergence and development of reciprocal relationships within the car boot market in Guangzhou. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of Symbolic Interactionism, the motivation behind these relationships is examined. The study uses field research, including in-depth interviews and observations, to gather data on the motivations, interactions, and reciprocal exchanges among market participants. The research objectives include understanding the background and characteristics of the car boot market, exploring the establishment of reciprocal relationships from the perspective of Symbolic Interactionism, and investigating the implications of these relationships for social identities. The research methodology encompasses qualitative methods, such as participant observation and interviews, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the car boot market and its reciprocal dynamics. The research findings indicate that in the car boot market, reciprocal relationships are formed through the exchange of symbols and meaningful interactions among vendors and customers. These relationships contribute to the construction of social identities and foster economic development within the market. Through direct and indirect reciprocity, vendors build networks and expand their social identities beyond their existing relationships. The conclusions drawn from this study underscore the significance of interactional behaviors and symbolic exchanges in the car boot market. The research highlights the applicability of Symbolic Interactionism in analyzing and understanding the nuanced dynamics of reciprocal relationships within informal economies. It offers valuable insights for the development and management of the car boot market and recommends strategies for fostering and sustaining reciprocal relationships.

A Study of the Body Symbolization and Mediatization and Emotional Consumption of a Streamer

Live streaming is prevalent in news communication, leisure and entertainment, daily consumption, advertising, mass education, and telemedicine fields of our daily lives in China. Such hotly debated words as e-commerce, live streaming, short video, and growing figures reflect a new change in the universal lifestyle in the Internet era. Live streaming, a new form of communication, may become a critical medium for people to connect with society. Based on the perspective of symbolic interactionism, this article explores the body symbolization and mediatization and emotional consumption of a streamer. Streamers bolstered by the consumption society, add a new body spatial dimension through body symbolization and mediatization, thus creating the desire and impulse for consumption among viewers on the one hand. People are increasingly reliant on products and services related to emotion provided by the market to meet their emotional needs in modern society on the other hand. Streamers, as a medium, have become one of the main suppliers of these products and services. As emotional labor and consumption become increasingly prevalent, streamers utilize emotional, physical, and linguistic symbols to convey a symbolic narrative. Consumers actively engage in the interpretation of these image texts and participate in live consumption through symbolic interaction. Streamers inject a sense of competition, intimacy, visual pleasure, and watch desire into the emotional structure of viewers unattainable through traditional media, which drives their consumption behavior for emotion.

Can't Buy Me Love: Gift‐Giving Among Members of Criminal Organizations

This paper problematizes gift relations in criminal organizations. It adopts a symbolic interaction perspective to focus scholarly attention on the way in which actants skillfully maneuver within the social expectations inherent in gift‐giving relations. The study is based on insights from twenty interviews with ex‐convicts and ten interviews with police officers or associates, and an in‐depth analysis of memoirs, police reports, and newspaper articles. Our study expands the scope of symbolic interactionism by considering how the exchange of gifts and favors is emotionally stylized to achieve both social and operative goals. We aim to carefully deconstruct the performance of gift‐giving and favor exchange in Israeli crime organizations, to understand how it is orchestrated to elicit genuine feelings among givers and recipients, as well as to control the use of violence. Finally, we identify gift‐giving as a double‐edged sword designed to lure recruits into a network of binding obligations, only to form a durable system of credit and debt wherein any transgressions are strictly punished.

The in-group ritual of self-denigration in Iranian doctoral defense sessions: applied linguists’ attitudes, functions and perceptions in focus

Abstract Drawing on a Symbolic Interactionist perspective and the Grounded Theory methodology, this study aimed to explore self-denigration from the perspective of Iranian applied linguists highlighting the significance of self-denigration as an in-group relational ritual in Iranian doctoral defense sessions. The data were obtained from rigorous coding of the transcripts of two focus groups and a questionnaire built on the findings of the focus group discussions. The findings indicated significant gender differences in terms of the participants’ attitudes toward the functions and meanings of self-denigration. Academic experience was also found to be an important factor in how the participants perceived self-denigration. Through a meticulous analysis of self-denigration in doctoral defense sessions, the present study sheds light on the norms and conventions of the academic discourse of defense sessions, thereby justifying the rights and obligations of the defense session participants.

Symbolic interactionism, role-identities, and delinquency: examining the moderating role of social rewards

ABSTRACT Criminological research consistently supports that reflected appraisals in various domains predict delinquency, yet, extant work has not fully explored theoretical nuances outlined in traditional symbolic interactionism, specifically concerning how conditioning factors are involved in role-taking among peers. This study assesses whether social rewards moderate the association between reflected appraisals and delinquency in order to elucidate the role-taking process and explore a possible mechanism of peer influence on offending. Using data from the National Youth Survey, analyses estimate the relationship among adolescents’ ‘rule violator’ and ‘sociable’ identities from the perspective of peers, perceptions of social rewards, and their count number of delinquent acts. The findings demonstrate mixed support for moderation hypotheses. Perceptions of greater social rewards for delinquency increase the positive association between the sociable appraisal and delinquency, while this interaction occurs in the opposite direction for the association between the rule violator appraisal and delinquency. These results support that social rewards influence behavior differently based on the content of reflected appraisals. This implies a process in which adolescents consider different factors to define delinquency as consistent with the identity they enact among peers; furthermore, the results identify directions for research incorporating the symbolic interactionist perspective in criminology.

A Study on the Role of Internet Emoticons in Business Communication from the Perspective of Symbolic Interactionism

Emoticons break down the traditional text communication and spread quickly across the Internet, becoming an indispensable network communication tool. They make up for the lack of non-verbal information in Internet communication, dispel the communication gap between the disseminator and the audience. Along with the advancement of information technology, many a business communication has changed from the traditional offline face-to-face communication to the virtual online kind. In daily life, due to the ritualistic, profit-oriented and transactional characteristics of business communication, emoticons in the customer service communication of the e-commerce platform are somewhat different from personal one. This paper selects 4 typical conversation texts from Taobao customer service to support the present case study. According to Mead and Blumer's symbolic interactionism, it analyses the role of emoticons used in business conversations as well as people’s motivations behind. On the basis of analyses, it attempts to summarize the role of emoticons in business communication and the problems existing in emoticons usage. The results demonstrate that emoticons can show professionalism and business etiquette, construct a communicator's business self-image, influence interpersonal mutual understanding so as to improve the accuracy and efficiency of business communication, and enhance group identification. Keywords: role of emoticons, non-verbal expressions, symbolic interactionism, business communication, customer service

Defining the Human Condition in Stoic Philosophy: A Case Study on the characterization of Emperor Marcus Aurelius

This paper investigates, from a psycho-sociological perspective, notions of self-reflection and the human condition in the Greco-Roman world during the ancient period, focusing on the social constructionism of personal characterisation. In this context, Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome's most remarkable philosopher-emperors, was considered an exemplary, wise, and moral leader during a tumultuous period marked by wars, epidemics, and betrayals. The positive image of Marcus Aurelius has endured in history due to the efforts of recording and transmission of this depiction in ancient sources, which emphasised the enrichment of imperial power with attention to the philosophical form. Both within the Stoic doctrine and from the perspective of symbolic interactionism, the human condition is perceived as a result of social construction and subjective interpretations, in which the individual has the power to shape their own experience and create their reality. Qualitative research methods associated with symbolic interactionism emphasise individual experience and understanding of the world, being helpful in explaining broad social changes and the agency of participants. This perspective provides a broad framework for analysing interactions that shape social architecture through which the image of Marcus Aurelius is propagated.

Pesantren-Based Principal Leadership Symbolic Interactionism Perspective in Schools

This study aims to discover the symbolic interactionism perspective of teachers or subordinates towards the principal at SMA Nurul Jadid. To achieve the objectives of this study, researchers used a qualitative approach, with a type of phenomenological research. The subjects in this study were teachers and subordinates at Nurul Jadid High School. At the same time, data collection is done through interviews and observation. The study results show that the leadership behaviour of the principal at SMA Nurul Jadid leads to transformational leadership based on intelligent and breakthrough social communication. The process of symbolic interaction between the teacher or subordinates and the principal of a pesantren-based school is mediated by the values used to represent an object. The values that are built include; the value of integrity, the value of simplicity, and the value of dedication. These values occur based on the subordinate's meaning of the principal's behaviour, which creates a symbolic world at Nurul Jadid Paiton Probolinggo High School.

The Symbolic Meaning of Leadership in the Perspective of Symbolic Interaction (Sahbirin Noor's Leadership Style Analysis)

Communication problems faced by the government are often related to bureaucratic communication procedures. So, communication activities are needed by leaders in the scope of internal and external communication. This also happened to the province of South Kalimantan, namely H. Sahbirin Noor who served as governor. The purpose of this research is to analyze Me, Mind, and Society leadership and to analyze the governor's self-concept elements in leadership activities, which refers to the symbolic interaction theory. The research approach uses qualitative methods with informants from government and community elements using interviews. The results show that Uncle Birin's self-meaning as a governor generally refers to Government Regulation No. 33 of 2018. Meanwhile, Mind is seen when Uncle Birin chooses a career as a government official for the benefit of the wider community. For the meaning of Society Uncle Birin through an attitude of empathy to be able to understand the wishes of the community. The element of Uncle Birin's self-concept is a visionary leader. Uncle Birin needs a view that fits the reality of society.``Self" is obtained by seeing oneself as an object. This view comes from the meaning of "I" and "Me". “I” is part of Uncle Birin's self to perform his duty of service to the community and “Me” as an actor who plays a role in the government and society of South Kalimantan.

Perceived discrimination of Māori and Pacific employees in Aotearoa/New Zealand: work and well-being consequences and testing the symbolic interaction perspective

PurposeMāori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand and have a history of experiencing discrimination, which occurs similarly for Pacific peoples. While both ethnic groups have lower pay and higher unemployment issues, their workplace experiences around perceived discrimination are seldom explored. Consequently, this study tests the influence of perceived discrimination on work outcomes (job satisfaction and work engagement) and well-being outcomes (job stress, job anxiety and job depression). Further, potential buffering effects of perceived organizational support (POS) and gender are conducted to test the symbolic interaction perspective (gender differences towards the potential buffering effects of POS).Design/methodology/approachThe study uses data from Māori employees (n = 437) and Pacific employees (n = 148) for a total sample of 585 employees across a wide range of occupations and industries. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the data was used, and two-way and three-way moderations were conducted.FindingsOverall, perceived discrimination was detrimentally related to all outcomes. Further, significant three-way interactions were found towards all well-being outcomes. This supported the symbolic interaction perspective, whereby high POS buffered perceived discrimination best for females, but low POS was key for males.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is important because the authors provide much-needed empirical evidence around ethnic discrimination in Aotearoa/New Zealand workplaces and extend the outcomes explored in the discrimination literature. Implications for organizations include establishing the rate of discrimination and developing human resource management (HRM) practices to address this.Originality/valueBeyond the unique findings towards Māori and Pacific employees, the strong support for the symbolic interaction perspective provides useful insights into understanding that support benefits differ by gender.

The interactional communication of feedback in clinical education: A focused ethnographic study in a hierarchical and collectivist culture

BackgroundThe definition of feedback in clinical education has shifted from information delivery to student-teacher dialogue. However, based on Hofstede's theory, countries with large power distance or a robust social hierarchy and collectivistic cultural dimensions can reduce the feedback dialogue to a minimum. Indonesia is classified in this group, with some Asian, African, Mediterranean, and Latin American countries. This study explores the interactional communication of feedback during clinical education in a hierarchical and collectivistic context. MethodsThe focused ethnographic approach was applied to the clinical rotation program in an Indonesian teaching hospital. Data sources included observations of feedback episodes during workplace-based assessments followed by interviews with clinical supervisors and students. The data were compiled within 16 weeks of observation in 7 groups of clinical departments, consisting of 28 field notes, audiotaped interviews including nine focus group discussions of students (N = 42), and seven in-depth interviews with clinical supervisors. Data were analyzed through transcription, coding, categorization, and thematic analysis using the symbolic interactionist perspective. ResultsWe identified four themes representing actual interactional communication and its ‘meaning’ or interpretation. The interactional communication in feedback is described in the first and second themes, such as 1) Students play the subordinate roles in a feedback dialogue; 2) The feedback content is focused on explanation and students' limitations. The third and fourth themes represent the clinical supervisors' and students' interpretation of their feedback experience, such as 3) Clinical supervisors' perspectives are mostly on dissatisfaction and teaching authority; 4) Students' acceptance of reality and negative affection. ConclusionsThis study shows that the social gap between students and clinical supervisors in Indonesia, and other countries in the same cultural classification, potentially causes communication barriers in the feedback dialogue. The adaptation of ‘feedback as a dialogue’ requires further effort and research to develop communication strategies in feedback that consider the national culture and context.

The Wall of The House As The Grammar of Diversity (Catolic and Islamic Communication Model In Ntaram)

This study aims to find a communication model for people of different religions in Ntaram, Flores and East Nusa Tenggara. The Ntaram understand their world as a synthesis perpetuated by differences. The Ntaram use the walls of their house as a medium to express their religious identity. The theory that is relevant to analyzing forms of symbolic communication is the theory of symbolic interaction. The Symbolic Interaction Perspective sees the social structure that is formed precisely by interaction. The way they communicate sets them apart from the rest of the family. In the process of meaning, there is a mental activity that distinguishes the meaning of human action from the movement of animals. Interpretation activities become a bridge between stimulus and response. The method used is qualitative with an ethnographic communication strategy. In this case, the researcher's task is to try to interpret and understand the behavior patterns and forms of communication of members of a community. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with purposively determined key informants. Also through Focus Group Discussion (FG), and observation, especially to obtain data related to context. The research findings show that the wall is who they are. Every data of the sili mai wae house that is visible on the living room wall is affixed with some holy images (such as Sufis or Islamic priests) of the world or calendars with Islamic overtones. As for ata le mai tana golo, identity is placed in the corner of the living room.

A Symbolic Interaction Analysis of Mapag Toya Ritual in Subak Bali

Mapag Toya is a farming ritual that involves gathering water from its source. Mapag Toya ritual is the implementation of Tri Hita Karana (THK) Parhyangan aspect, which is the relationship between humans and God. In this narrative qualitative study, the perspective of symbolic interaction will be used. The symbolic interaction process examines the Mapag Toya rituals as it relates to the role of meaning in human life, particularly the use of symbols in interacting with nature, social, cultural, and economic factors.
 Keywords: mapag toya, ritual, subak, symbolic interaction

A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective on the Divide within the Veteran Self

This article focuses a theoretical lens on the veteran self and discusses what this can mean for veterans, their loved ones, and society. Mead’s (1934) generalized other, Cooley’s (1902) looking-glass self, and James’s (1890) and Mead’s division of the self into the I and the Me are central concepts in this discussion. The article embraces a symbolic interactionist understanding, which leads to the suggestion that there is no deeper symbolic consensus between the civilian and military lifeworlds. Military symbols are not shared with and are not meaningful to civilians and therefore are not symbols at all in the civilian lifeworld. The rupture of the veteran self is due to the lack of shared symbolism with the self and civilian society at large. This creates a divide within the veteran self, which is hard to bridge. The article is written with a special address to the deployed veteran.

Images of Body Shaming in Ezeigbo’s Magic Breast Bags

Body shaming is an old sociological phenomenon that leaves a mark in the life of its recipients and could drive them to take drastic actions in other to fit into societal perceived and accepted looks. Several literary works expose the open criticism and mockery of a person’s physical appearances which could demoralize or impede the mindset of the individuals and yet nothing is done about it in most situations. The act of body shaming is an act of bullying which the effect oftentimes is trivialized in certain situations and communities. Body shaming might not even be regarded as an act of bullying or wrong-doing to a person’s mental state and general perceptions of their being. The objective of this study is to expose the resultant effect of body shaming, proffer ways in which it can be curbs and examine the role of literature as a corrective medium. From a sociological stand point, using the symbolic interactionist perspective theory, this study draws its strength from Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo Magic Breast Bag a collection of short stories with a focus “Magic Breast Bags”, “The Runaway Prophet” and “I Go Drive Myself”. The selected choices aim at exploring the causes of body shaming, the psychological effect of body shaming and the perceived gender labeling of body shaming.