Symbolic Interaction Perspective

In my view this is a subjective micro theory which looks at how individuals ideas, beliefs and attitudes impacts their daily lives.

It is subjective in nature in that it compares individual behaviour and reaction to symbols and their meanings and how they are communicated. This could be either  words, gestures, pictures, or symbols. Individuals who share the same view would have mutual understanding, but those who do not share the same view may have conflict arising between them. Symbols have different meanings in different societies.

The theorist also speaks of the “Significant Other” – how individuals basically see and understand things .Individuals who does not share the same understanding or meanings of certain facts, tension may arise.eg. A boy who goes out on his first date may want a kiss, but the girl would prefer to have a meaningful conversation.

We   become cognizant of certain situations because of our interaction with other people such as parents, friends, relatives etc.

The theorist also thinks that family roles are symbolic, members of families get engage in multi tasks,  eg. My sister is a mother, a grandmother and a wife.

However people roles are different based on the individual they are interacting with at the time.eg. Little Tommy would respond differently to his Grand Pa as compared to his big brother Josh.