Symbolic interactionism is a theological level that focuses on social interaction between human and their environment. How people interact in society portrays a concept that humans believe more in what they think than the truth Puddephatt 111). In contemporary society, individuals rely more on what they believe and ignore the truth even though they know it; for example, in the present social life, the use of drugs is high in schools. The students are educated on the drugs’ adverse effects, but they still use them since they believe that using drugs makes them feel good, forgetting the medication problems they can cause in their bodies. Mead’s theory of social development argues that people obtain self-images when they interact with other people (Puddephatt 98). According to Mead, the self, being a part of one’s personality, consists of self-image and self-awareness and results from social experience.
The theory outlines ideas that help individuals to “take the role of others.” For instance, the theory rejects the fact that biological drives determine one’s personality and argues that the self develops only through social experience. Mead emphasized the use of symbols to build self. This refers to how humans use language and signs to transmit information. Moreover, to know other people’s intentions, it is essential to think of the situation in their view. This is paramount when “taking the role of the other”; thus, how one sees others determines their ability to help them. Mead insisted that understanding others’ roles leads to self-awareness. Mead’s theory fits symbolic interactionism because for individuals to interact freely, they have to understand the self (Byczkowska-Owczarek 168). Self-awareness and image are crucial in how people interpret others’ behaviors. According to Mead’s theory, this is possible if one can understand others’ situations and can convey information using symbols and language.
Freud’s theory of personality argues that human interactional behavior comes from three different components in the individual’s mind: the id, ego, and superego. He explains that the interaction between these three parts of the mind results in psychosexual development in human thinking (Karterud and Kongerslev 37). According to Freud on the three components of the mind, the id is the most basic of all the three. It consists of the biological inherited components that are passed at birth, including sex instinct and aggressiveness. The id is the part of the brain that carries the aggressive drives and memories that are hidden. It is so primitive and does not care when the abusive language is used because it does not care if it hurts anyone.
In the same incident, the superego knows the difference between right and wrong, so it will understand that using abusive language is wrong (Nuckcheddy 4). The last component is the ego, where work is to balance the demands of both the id and the superego in a real context. On the underscore, the ego will come between the superego and conclude that using abusive language is wrong and that learning good speech is the best option. While other sociologies focus on behavior and other things as a drive for human development, Freud focuses on sexuality alone. This perspective has been criticized by many sociologists because there is more to a person than their sexuality. For example, evolution is caused by the environment, social forces, and other external factors like childhood traumas.
References
Byczkowska-Owczarek, Dominika. “Body and Social Interaction—The Case of Dance. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective.” Qualitative Sociology Review, vol.16, vol.4, 2020, pp. 164-179.
Karterud, Sigmund, and Mickey T. Kongerslev. “Psychotherapy of Personality Disorders Needs An Integrative Theory Of Personality.” Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 2020.
Nuckcheddy, Ashveen. “The Effect of Personality on Motivation and Organizational Behavior.” Psychology and Behavioral Science International Journal, vol. 9, no.2, 2018, pp. 001-005.
Puddephatt, Antony J. “George Herbert Mead.” The Interactionist Imagination, edited by Michael Hviid Jacobsen, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017, pp. 95-119.