An engaging text that enables readers to understand the world through symbolic interactionism

This lively and accessible book offers an introduction to sociological social psychology through the lens of symbolic interactionism. It provides students with an accessible understanding of this perspective to illuminate their worlds and deepen their knowledge of other people's lives, as well as their own. Written by noted experts in the field, the book explores the core concepts of social psychology and examines a collection of captivating empirical studies. The book also highlights everyday life--putting the focus on the issues and concerns that are most relevant to the readers' social context.

The Social Self and Everyday Life bridges classical theories and contemporary ideas, joins abstract concepts with concrete examples, and integrates theory with empirical evidence. It covers a range of topics including the body, emotions, health and illness, the family, technology, and inequality. Best of all, it gets students involved in applying concepts in their daily lives.

• Demonstrates how to use students' social worlds, experiences, and concerns to illustrate key interactionist concepts in a way that they can emulate

• Develops key concepts such as meaning, self, and identity throughout the text to further students' understanding and ability to use them

• Introduces students to symbolic interactionism, a major theoretical and research tradition within sociology

• Helps to involve students in familiar experiences and issues and shows how a symbolic interactionist perspective illuminates them

• Combines the best features of authoritative summaries, clear definitions of key terms, with enticing empirical excerpts and attention to popular ideas

Clear and inviting in its presentation, The Social Self and Everyday Life: Understanding the World Through Symbolic Interactionism is an excellent book for undergraduate students in sociology, social psychology, and social interaction.

Autorentext

Kathy Charmaz, is Emerita Professor of Sociology at Sonoma State University, USA, and a consultant providing professional development workshops on qualitative methods, symbolic interactionism, and academic writing globally. She has written, co-authored, or co-edited 14 books including two award-winning books, Good Days, Bad Days: The Self in Illness and Time (1991), and Constructing Grounded Theory (2006, 2014). Scott R. Harris, is Professor of Sociology at Saint Louis University, USA. He is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Symbolic Interaction and author of Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions (2015) and How to Critique Journal Articles in the Social Sciences (2014). His book What Is Constructionism? (2010) received the Cooley Award from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction. Leslie Irvine, is Professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. Her main research focuses on the roles of animals in society. She has written several books including My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People and their Animals (2015) and Filling the Ark: Animal Welfare in Disasters (2009).

Klappentext
"Kathy Charmaz, Scott Harris and Leslie Irvine's The Social Self and Everyday Life: Understanding the World Through Symbolic Interactionism is a wonderfulbut also very timely introduction to the interactionist perspective in social psychology. They introduce the classic masters of interactionist thoughtsuch as Mead, Blumer, Strauss and Goffman by applying their insights to today's social issues. A major innovation in this text is the discussion of contemporary interactionists' writing on timely topics such as the body, emotions, health, music and social media. The authors make symbolic interactionism meaningful, relevantand fun!for students of social psychologya great scholarly as well as pedagogical accomplishment!"
Joseph A. Kotarba, Ph.D., Texas State University, USA and University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA This lively and accessible book offers an introduction to sociological social psychology through the lens of symbolic interactionism. It provides students with an accessible understanding of this perspective to illuminate their worlds and deepen their knowledge of other people's lives, as well as their own. Written by noted experts in the field, the book explores the core concepts of social psychology and examines a collection of captivating empirical studies. The book also highlights everyday lifeputting the focus on the issues and concerns that are most relevant to the readers' social context. The Social Self and Everyday Life bridges classical theories and contemporary ideas, joins abstract concepts with concrete examples, and integrates theory with empirical evidence. It covers a range of topics including the body, emotions, health and illness, the family, technology, and inequality. Best of all, it gets students involved in applying concepts in their daily lives. Clear and inviting in its presentation, The Social Self and Everyday Life: Understanding the World Through Symbolic Interactionism is an excellent book for undergraduate students in sociology, social psychology, and social interaction.

Inhalt
Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

1 An Invitation to Learn about Self, Situation, and Society 1

ThisIsWhatAnxietyFeelsLike 2

Sociology, Psychology, and Social Psychology 3

Symbolic Interactionism and Other Perspectives 4

Overview of the Book 8

Chapter Previews 9

Note 13

References 13

2 Looking at Life from the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective 16

Symbolic Interactionism as a Theoretical Perspective 19

Assumptions about Human Nature and Social Life 21

Premises of the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective 24

The Development of Self 28

Society, Self, and Mind: The Social Psychology of George Herbert Mead 28

Charles Horton Cooley's Looking Glass Self 32

Self, SelfConcept, and Identity 34

Defining the Situation, Naming, and Knowing 35

W.I. Thomas and Dorothy Swaine Thomas's Theorem 35

Anselm Strauss and Naming and Knowing 36

Erving Goffman's Metaphor of the Theater: Dramaturgical Analysis 38

Conclusion 42

Learning by Using the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective 43

Notes 44

References 45

3 Socialization: Becoming Ourselves 48

What Is Socialization? 50

Sociological Perspectives on Socialization 50

Conceptualizing

Socialization 52

Theoretical Perspectives of Socialization 52

Types of Socializing Experiences 56

Socialization in Childhood 57

Infants and Agency 57

Parents and Children 59

Peers and Socialization 62

Adult Socialization 66

Involvements and Evolvements 66

Total Institutions and Remaking the Self 68

Conclusion 70

Learning by Using the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective 71

Notes 72

References 73

4 The Social Body: Appearances and Experiences 76

Bodily Appearances 77

Coping with Bodily Stigma 81

Defining Stigma 81

Responding to Being Stigmatized 85

Interpreting

Bodily Experiences 87

Conclusion 92

Learning by Using the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective 92

Notes 94

References 94

5 Health, Illness, and Disability 96

Meanings of Health, Illness, and Disability 97

Maintaining Health 99

Individual vs. Social Responsibility for Health 101

Individual Responsibility for Health 102

Gender and Individual Responsibility for Health 102

Extending Individual Responsibility through Online Participation 103

Social Responsibility for Health 105

Individual Responsibility and Neoliberalism 105

How Individual Responsibility for Health Complements Neoliberalism 105

Moral Failure and VictimBlaming 107

Experiencing Serious Illness 108

The Diagnostic Quest 109

Biographical Disruption and Loss of Self 111

Living with Illness and Disabi…