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Foundations of Sociology : Exercise 2 - Theoretical paradigms of sociology


Instructions: Read each passage and click on the correct answer. Scroll down if you do not see the Answer box. If wrong, try again.
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  Passage 4 of 4
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The Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm

     While both the structural-functional and the social-conflict paradigms study society with a macro-level orientation (a broad look at social structures and how they shape the whole society), the symbolic-interaction paradigm has a micro-level orientation (a close-up look at social interaction in specific situations). The symbolic-interaction paradigm views society as resulting from the everyday interactions of individuals.

     Sociologists who follow the symbolic-interaction paradigm focus on everyday behaviors, especially on the ways people have face-to-face interactions. According to them, humans communicate using symbols - words, gestures, facial expressions, sounds, and actions - that have common interpretations. These symbols and their interpretations help shape people's behaviors. For example, if a student is trying to talk to a teacher and the teacher keeps looking outside or at his watch, these symbols will tell the student that the teacher does not have a lot of time. This will cause the student to cut his conversation short.

     The interactions among people and their understanding of these interactions not only help shape people's behavior, but they also help them shape their understanding of their own reality. Therefore, human behavior is not only determined by the facts of a situation but also by what beliefs people have about that situation. For example, if a person believes that NYC streets are dangerous at night, he will not go outside at night regardless of the fact that the crime rate is low. In short, to sociologists who follow this approach, society is a complex and always changing collection of personal meanings (people's own belief or interpretation of every situation).

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