Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Research Articles

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM AND CAREER OUTSIDER: A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE FOR CAREER STUDY

ABSTRACT In this article we present a theoretical and methodological discussion for the study of career in the perspective of symbolic interactionism. A possible approach in this scope leads us to what can be termed as an outsider career. The outsider career consists of a concept developed by Becker¹ (2008), from which the individual is considered by the other members of society an "outsider" person for having an unconventional behavior. In this way, this approach to career study considers the individual's social context, their interactions, their characteristics and the process of labeling. The use of symbolic interactionism for the analysis of the outsider career implies their own theoretical and methodological perspective, opening up possibilities for new research with an interdisciplinary look, focused on the social context, considering all the social actors involved in the outsider career.

The Role of International Tribunals in the Development of Historical Narratives

AbstractCollective memories are significant for both individuals and societies, as they play an important role in the construction of collective identities. This article focuses on the role of non-criminal international tribunals in the development of collective memories, asking whether it is desirable for such international tribunals to be involved in the construction of historical narratives. International tribunals have not adopted a consistent approach concerning the presentation of a case’s historical background in their judgments. The question of whether it is desirable for non-criminal tribunals to assume an active role in this sphere is analysed using three major sociological perspectives: the structural-functional approach, the symbolic-interactionist perspective, and the social conflict approach. The discussion regarding each theoretical approach is accompanied by illustrative examples from the case law of international tribunals. The conclusions drawn from this analysis integrate certain elements from each theoretical approach; but primarily draw on recommendations associated with the symbolic-interactionist perspective, and to a lesser extent on some recommendations associated with the social-conflict approach.

Experiencing designs and designing experiences: Emotions and theme parks from a symbolic interactionist perspective

This paper aims to open a theoretical debate on the relationships between spatial design and emotional experiences in theme parks from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Whereas the interplay between emotions and space is fundamental to understanding the production and consumption of experiences at theme parks, this relationship has been insufficiently explored in theme park literature. The paper applies symbolic interactionism to comment on relevant topics in theme park literature such as atmosphere design, experience control, and visitors’ engagement. In contrast to reductionistic and deterministic accounts of emotions, the paper emphasizes the indirect influence of atmospheres in visitors’ emotional responses, underscores the active role that guests play in the co-production of their own experiences, and stresses the significance of role-playing to understanding visitors’ engagement and immersion in the fantasies that theme parks manufacture for them. The paper also highlights the theoretical and empirical value of emotional narratives to better capture the mixed, complex, and situated experiences that visitors undergo with respect to spatial designs at theme parks.

A Qualitative Study of Rural-To-Urban Migrant Chinese Mothers’ Experiences in Mother-Child Interactions and Self-Evaluation

While previous research has highlighted the crucial role of parental support and parent-child communication in enhancing the quality of life of left-behind children in China, little research has investigated how migrant parents’ perceptions of parent-child interactions relate to their self-evaluation in parenthood and affect their parental well-being. This qualitative study adopted a symbolic interactionist perspective of identity construction to develop a heuristic tool to examine the narratives collected through individual interviews with 30 rural-to-urban migrant Chinese mothers regarding their experiences in maintaining ties with their children and how such experiences relate to their self-evaluation in motherhood. This study identified four types of maternal self-evaluation. The first type of mothers had few interactions with their children and constructed their maternal self mainly out of the cultural and social understanding of motherhood. The second type of mothers were able to maintain relational connectedness with their children and evaluated their maternal self positively. The third type of mothers had unfavorable parent-child interactions and constructed a resigned and gloomy view of their maternal self. The last type also evaluated their maternal identity negatively, but they maintained hope to redeem the maternal self through changing parental practices. The research findings demonstrate the complexity, diversity, and malleability of the construction of maternal identity among migrant mothers in China. They also provide insights into a number of initiatives that could potentially promote the well-being of migrant mothers and support their families.

Significado del Riesgo de VIH/SIDA para Hombres Homosexuales en Medellín, Colombia

This research aimed to establish the meaning that risk behaviors have for homosexual men in relation to contracting HIV/AIDS through sexual contact. Adopting a qualitative approach, 19 interviews were held with homosexual men residing in the city of Medellin, Colombia. Grounded theory, from the perspective of symbolic interactionism, was used to find the relationship between meanings and behaviors. Coding, categorization, and interpretation processes were conducted. Results show that (a) the clandestine nature of sexual encounters causes risk to be regarded as a way of experiencing affection and that (b) there is an inverse relationship between affection and risk: the stronger the affection the greater the risk avoidance, informed by prevention recommendations; the weaker the affection the greater the proneness to take risks, searching for recognition and denying the information about protective measures.

IMMORTALITY AS A NETWORK OF RELATIONSHIPS. EXPERIENCE OF BUILDING A POSTHUMOUS AVATAR ON THE LIFENAUT PLATFORM

Based on an analysis of the American Lifenaut research project, I attempt to capture immortality created today as a network of relationships among human and non‑human factors. Lifenaut was established in 2006 as a pioneering project in the field of creating posthumous digital avatars. The users involved in the experiment gather data on the www.lifenaut.com platform to retain their personality in a digitized form after biological death. Part of my work is reconstructive – I describe the assumptions of the American project and the main concepts associated with it, such as “mindclone”, “mindfiles” and “mindware”. In the second part I present the results of my own avatar creation experiment and confront them with the sociological perspective of symbolic interactionism (G.H. Mead, H. Blumer) and relational sociology (B. Latour).

SOCIAL TRUST AND TOURISM

Purpose. The aim of the work is to learn the theoretical assumptions regarding the culture of trust and culture of distrust in relation to (post) modern tourism. Method. The basic method is to analyseliterature on the subject using the two theoretical perspectives dominating in sociology, namely the perspectives of functionalism and the perspective of symbolic interactionism. Results. If there is a high level of trust in the field of tourism, the result of this situation is optimism, commitment and innovation, a climate of mobilisation, activity, the potential for creativity is released, and people have a sense of freedom and subjectivity. As a consequence, structural conditions for the development of tourism are created. The reverse situation occurs when the culture of mistrust is dominant in tourism, which leads to withdrawal, passivity, demobilisation, atomisation, alienation and distancing itself from other individual and collective actors of the tourist scene. This state of affairs causes reduction in the subjective potential of the tourism community, the ability to creatively, innovatively and strengthen the culture of distrust in tourism. Research and conclusions limitations. No limitations of the tests occurred. Inference, as in the social sciences, is probabilistic in nature. Practical implications. The final conclusions should contribute to greater awareness of tourism participants about the role and importance of social trust in the development of the area of life that interests us. Originality. The description of tourism uses a soft variable which is social trust. The work is to make all tourism participants aware that this variable, after aggregation, is transformed into a powerful force that determines the progress or regression of tourism. Type of work. The article is a theoretical review in which the analysis of the phenomenon of modern tourism from a sociological perspective and using the notion of the innovative concept in scientific circulation of social trust is undertaken.

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Instagram'daki Benlik Sunumları

Bu çalışma, Web 2.0 teknolojisiyle oluşturulan görsel paylaşım temelli, interaktif bir sosyal medya ağı olan Instagram üzerinedir. Aktif Instagram kullanıcısı olan üniversite öğrencilerinin kullanım pratikleri, temel olarak Erving Goffman'ın benlik sunumu kavramsallaştırması çerçevesinde, sembolik etkileşimci bir bakış açısıyla incelenmiştir. Pratikler, bakma hazzı, görme biçimleri, karnavalesk, ayna evresi (mirror stage), skopofili (gözetlemecilik) ve voyorizm (dikizlemecilik) gibi kavramlarla tartışılmıştır. Bu bağlamda, Goffman'ın benlik sunumu çerçevesinden hareket edilerek oyuncu, vitrin, rol, izlenim, performans gibi kavramlar kullanılmıştır. Var olan durumdan farklı, kurgusal paylaşım yapmanın problematize edildiği bu çalışmada Mersin Üniversitesi öğrencisi 11 katılımcıyla derinlemesine mülakat yapılmış, katılımcıların Instagram deneyimleri konusunda veriler toplanmıştır. Araçsal durum çalışmasıyla (instrumental case study) analiz edilen bu veriler; sosyal medyanın, kullanıcıların etkileşim ortamlarının, gündelik hayat ve sanal hayat arasındaki farkın ve paylaşım tasarımlarının anlaşılmasına ışık tutmuştur. Bunlara ek olarak Instagram'ın kullanım pratiklerinden yola çıkılarak Instagram'la ilgili terimleri anlatan bir sözlük oluşturulmuştur. Sonuç olaraksa; görülmekten haz alan kullanıcıların, Instagram sahnesinde kusursuz bir performans sergilemek için çaba göstererek paylaşım tasarımlarına zaman harcadıkları, titiz birer tasarımcı oldukları, profillerindeki görünürlüklerine özen gösterdikleri anlaşılmıştır. Kullanıcıların başkalarıyla olan etkileşimlerinde yorum alma, beğenilme, izlenilme gibi pratikleri oldukça değerli bulup, bu durumlardan duygusal doyum sağladıkları ve kimi zaman da sahne önü ve arkasının farklılaştığı paylaşımlarda bulundukları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Kullanıcıların sadece beğeni almak ya da görüntülenme sayısını yüksek tutmak için bile düzenli olarak bu mecrada vakit geçirdikleri ve beğeni ya da takipçi sayısını yükseltmek için karşılıklı beğeni ve takip yaptıkları sonuçları da saptanmıştır.

How Contextual Frames Normalize Submission

ABSTRACTTwo studies demonstrate how contextual frames normalize submission and hereby complement and legitimize the exercise of power. Combining Kuhn’s qualitative concept of the self with Charles Osgood’s empirical measurements of self-attitudes, the first study tests the impact of the frame of submission on self-attitudes. This assessment of the self allows to quantify the influence of a frame or context. A second study tests the hypothesis that selves, organized by the context of submission, will normalize acts of submission. Computer simulations that quantitatively operationalize the Cybernetic Symbolic Interactionist perspective, find evidence for the normalizing quality of frames.

Just being there matters

PurposeAlthough user behaviors in social network service (SNS) have been well studied in prior literature, most of these studies focus on those behaviors with relatively deep user engagement such as information disclosure, while the underlying mechanisms that explain users’ shallow engagement behaviors (e.g. Like behavior) have been rarely discussed. To fill this research gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a research model to identify the antecedents of Like behavior.Design/methodology/approachThis study identifies the distinctions between post behavior and Like behavior and develops a research model of Like behavior by emphasizing the role of sense of presence from the perspective of symbolic interactionism. The model is tested through a survey with 479 users of WeChat (a popular SNS tool in China). Structural equation modeling, SmartPLS in particular, is used for data analysis.FindingsThree value perceptions, namely cognitive value, hedonic value and social value, are found to be positively associated with Like intention, and sense of presence is found to affect Like intention both directly and indirectly via the three value perceptions.Research limitations/implicationsThe research model is tested based on a specific SNS in China, so whether the conclusions can be applied to other research contexts should be further examined in future research. This study identifies the distinctions between post behavior and Like behavior and suggests to view the Like behavior from the perspective of symbolic interactionism.Practical implicationsThe paper outlines ways to effectively promote SNS users’ Like behaviors by enhancing the functions related to three value perceptions, especially by enriching the ways that facilitate interpersonal interactions.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to distinguish Like behavior from post behavior in SNS, propose and empirically test a research model of Like behavior. In particular, this paper strengthens the important role of sense of presence from the perspective of symbolic interactionism which has rarely been investigated in prior studies.

The influences of group dialog on individual student understanding of science concepts

BackgroundCooperative and inquiry-based pedagogies provide a context for classroom discourse in which students develop joint understanding of subject matter knowledge. Using the symbolic interactionist perspective that meaning is constructed as individuals interact with one another, we examined how student groups enrolled in an undergraduate general chemistry course developed sociochemical norms that influenced individual student understanding of chemical concepts. Sociochemical norms refer to the normative aspects of classroom microculture that regulate discourse on what counts as a table chemical justification and explanation. We describe how these sociochemical normative ideas were developed based on observational research and recordings of the student groups as they engaged in classroom discourse.ResultsOur analysis showed that students routinely developed chemistry-driven criteria within and across groups to explain the nature of dissolving ionic solids in water. Moreover, resultant sociochemical norms led to shifts in student understanding and the ways in which students reasoned about the causes of chemical phenomena under study.ConclusionsOur results indicate that group dialog influenced individual student conceptions of ionic compounds in solution and highlight the need to engage students in instructional activities that not only engage them in the multiple ways of representing chemical knowledge but also making public their views and participating in classroom discourse.

Positive Emotional Experiences in Teaching, Teacher Identity, and Student Behaviors: A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

AbstractInformed by symbolic interactionism, this study examines how positive emotional experiences in teaching, teacher identity, and student behaviors are associated. According to the symbolic in...

Narrative storytelling as mental health support for women experiencing gender-based violence in Afghanistan

RationaleExperiencing gender-based violence (GBV) can have serious consequences for women's mental health. However, little is known about how to address the health consequences of GBV against women in high-prevalence settings where GBV is widely accepted as normal. ObjectiveThis study examines the potential for narrative storytelling to support women's mental health and alleviate the suffering caused by GBV in high-prevalence settings. It adopts a symbolic interactionist perspective to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of women living in safe houses for GBV in Afghanistan. MethodIn-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with women (n = 20) in two Afghanistan safe houses between March and May 2017. The data were analysed both inductively and deductively using thematic network analysis. ResultsThe findings reveal the stigmatising and traumatic experiences many women have had when telling their stories of GBV in this context. In contrast, storytelling under supportive conditions was perceived to be a highly valuable experience that could help formulate positive social identities and challenge broader social structures. The supportive conditions that contributed to a positive storytelling experience included the presence of a sympathetic non-judgemental listener and a supportive social environment. ConclusionsThese findings offer an alternative to biomedical models of mental health support for women experiencing GBV in high-prevalence settings. They raise the importance of tackling broader social changes that challenge patriarchal social structures, and highlight the potential role that narrative storytelling approaches can play in high-prevalence settings like Afghanistan.

The Philosophical Basis of Social Turning of Embodied Cognition From the Perspective of Symbolic Interactionism

The Philosophical Basis of Social Turning of Embodied Cognition From the Perspective of Symbolic Interactionism

Performativity, border-crossings and ethics in a prison-based creative writing project

We critically reflect on insights from our experiences as female researchers on a creative writing project in a men’s prison, including the emotional impact on the men involved and the ways in which our role as participant researchers impacted deeply on us. Juxtaposed starkly with the physical constraints of the prison, a sense of journeys emerged as significant throughout the study, particularly the symbolic crossing of boundaries. We draw on theories of performativity from both Feminist and Symbolic Interactionist perspectives to frame our understanding of the experience of being participant researchers in prison creative writing workshops, and also consider associated ethical issues.

Advancing a Model of Secondary Trauma: Consequences for Victim Service Providers.

A burgeoning body of scholarship is attempting to understand, normalize, and ameliorate the emotional strain of victim service provision. The literature, however, has yet to fully theorize the hazardous process of empathetic engagement with victims. As a result, concepts, mechanisms, and outcomes are often conflated, making it difficult to understand the etiological path of this occupational risk. The goal of this article is to attend to this gap by accomplishing three objectives. The first is to engage with the perspective of symbolic interaction to theoretically ground a conceptual model of secondary trauma. The second objective is to propose a model of secondary trauma that acknowledges its inherently interactional, interpretive, and, thus, vicariously transmissible nature. The third objective is to begin the work of empirically supporting this model with data from a sample of victim service providers (n = 94) collected using in-depth interviews, focus groups, ethnographic participant observation, and community-based participatory research. Our findings suggest that victim service provision, in the form of empathetic engagement, can blur the boundary between self and other, and lead to a sense of damage in the self that manifests in unreliable self-agency, untrustworthy coherence of other, desensitized self-affectivity, and fractured self-history. This work has significant implications. We illustrate an important paradox by showing how victim service provision can be helpful to victims but harmful to providers. We also offer a pathway for reducing this harm. By specifying mechanisms of damage, the model can be used to inform policies and practices supportive of victim service providers' health and well-being.

Corporate rebranding failure and brand meanings in the digital environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic process of brand meaning creation by multiple stakeholders during corporate rebranding in the digital environment.Design/methodology/approachBy applying a symbolic interactionist perspective, the case study analyses a failed corporate rebranding of Gap. A variety of narratives by managers, consumers, designers, and marketing professionals were captured by collecting qualitative data on Facebook, Twitter, and professional forums on the internet.FindingsThe study demonstrates that the process of brand meaning creation is affected by the complexity of brand meaning negotiation within and between different stakeholder groups. The findings illustrate that the polarisation of brand meanings, in which both antagonistic and supportive forms co-exist, has a determinable impact on the outcome of corporate rebranding.Research limitations/implicationsThe study analyses one case of corporate rebranding failure with the focus being on the four key stakeholder groups. Future studies could examine multiple cases of successful and failed corporate rebranding, including a broader variety of internal and external stakeholders.Practical implicationsMarketing managers should engage multiple stakeholders proactively during the process of brand meaning creation. They are encouraged to learn from antagonistic incidents of brand meaning negotiation as well as to utilise opportunities arising during constructive episodes of brand meaning co-creation.Originality/valueThe study contributes to previous research by exploring how the process of brand meaning creation can trigger the collision of brand meanings, which lead to the failure of corporate rebranding.

Patients' perception and adherence to vaginal dilator therapy: a systematic review and synthesis employing symbolic interactionism.

BackgroundVaginal dilator (VD) therapy is often recommended for women receiving pelvic radiation therapy or experiencing pain and discomfort during intercourse, as well as for women with a congenital malformation of the vagina. VD use has both physical and psychological benefits; however, it often causes pain, discomfort, and adverse emotions, including embarrassment and loss of modesty, which often result in low adherence to therapy.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to explore the use and adherence of VD therapy in women, identify barriers and facilitators of therapy adherence, and suggest improvement strategies from the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism.MethodsA systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus databases, with no year restrictions. Articles addressing the experience of women using VD therapy, as well as barriers and facilitators of therapy adherence were selected and analyzed. Then, the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism was introduced and applied to synthesize the results.ResultsA total of 21 articles were selected for the review. Most of the reviewed studies explored VD therapy in women who had undergone pelvic radiation therapy for gynecological cancer. Women’s adherence to the therapy ranged between 25% and 89.2%, with great variance in definitions and methods for assessing therapy adherence. Among the five categories of identified barriers to therapy adherence, “unhelpful circumstances” and “negative perceptions toward the VD” were the two most frequently mentioned. The two most frequently reported facilitators of adherence among the six identified categories were “supportive interactions with health care providers” and “risk perception and positive outcome expectancies”. On the basis of the perspective of symbolic interactionism, strategies for strengthening interactions with others (eg, health care providers, significant others, and support groups) are discussed in detail.ConclusionStrategic intervention regarding the decisive factors identified in the review can benefit women by enhancing their experience and adherence to VD therapy.

Student–Teacher Interaction in Public Schools in Lebanon: A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective in Grade 6 Classes

This study investigates the patterns of student–teacher interaction in five elementary public schools in Lebanon along four dimensions of classroom environment: teachers’ expectations, teachers’ feedback, use of the students’ ideas, and students’ attitude toward school using Grounded Theorizing and Symbolic Interactionist approaches. Thirty-three teachers were interviewed about their expectations and feedback to students, and their use of the students’ ideas in class. They were also observed in classes during instruction and feedback delivery; 196 students filled questionnaires about the way they perceive their teachers’ expectations, feedback, and use of their ideas in class, and about their attitude toward their schools. Results indicated interpatterns of interaction common to all of the public schools chosen in this study. They revealed positive students’ attitude toward their schools, and a positive perception of their teachers’ expectations and feedback. In addition, results not only pointed to negative teacher expectations accorded to students but also revealed mismatched accounts of positive types of feedback delivery, this feedback regarded negative from the observer’s perspective. Classroom observations revealed a big discrepancy between what has been reported by the teachers and the students and what has been practiced; it also revealed more points of convergence between the teachers’ accounts and the students’ accounts than between both perspectives and the observer’s. Recommendations for improving the classroom environment in the elementary public schools in Lebanon are made.

The Role of International Tribunals in the Development of Historical Narratives

Collective memories are significant for both individuals and societies, as they play an important role in the construction of collective identities. This article focuses on the role of non-criminal international tribunals in the development of collective memories, asking whether it is desirable for such international tribunals to be involved in the construction of historical narratives. International tribunals have not adopted a consistent approach concerning the presentation of the case’s historical background in their judgments. The question of whether it is desirable for non-criminal tribunals to assume an active role in this sphere is analysed using three major sociological perspectives: the structural-functional approach, the symbolic-interactionist perspective, and the social conflict approach. The conclusions of this article emphasize that international adjudicators are embedded in socio-historical environments and are influenced by historical narratives prevailing their respective groups (regardless of whether they present an historical narrative or not). International tribunals interact with additional agents of memory (e.g., governmental bodies and the mass media); and though they are more constrained than other agents of memory (e.g., regarding evidentiary rules), they do hold some significant advantages in this sphere. Each agent of memory possesses some advantages and limits and they often cross-fertilize each other. Where reasonable available evidence permits, international tribunals (and particularly regional ones) may legitimately play a role in the construction of historical narratives. The participation of international tribunals in this sphere is particularly vital where national judicial or semi-judicial bodies deliberately conceal a significant historical event generating extensive harm to a disadvantaged group. In such cases, it is desirable that international tribunals undertake an inclusive approach and make reasonable efforts to take into account historical findings produced by other agents of memory (such as historians and experts), while acknowledging the possible bias of each actor. Informed by the symbolic-interactionist approach, we are of the view that judicial-historical narratives are important not only for the social integration of a particular group; but mainly as a meaningful remedy for individuals and smaller communities whose rights have been violated. In light of the valuable socio-cultural qualities of local institutions in this sphere, it is generally legitimate for regional tribunals (rather than global ones) to take an active part in the development of regional historical heritage; particularly where such judicial-historical pronouncements are significant for small communities or individuals who suffered a violation of their legal rights. The benefits of constructing collective memories in a bottom-up process indicate that where national tribunals (or local quasi-judicial bodies) function effectively and reliably, international tribunals should generally refrain from interfering with the development of local historical narratives. Where international tribunals encounter considerable asymmetric settings, it is desirable to apply adequate rules of evidence to mitigate the parties' unbalanced capacities in proving historical events.