Symbolic Interaction Essay

2005 Words9 Pages
Evaluating Interactions Symbolic Interaction theories concern themselves with the questions about how people develop “social selves” and how people make choices about interactions and manage interactions. Goffman and Hochschild’s contribute a great deal towards understanding the reasons for why human beings interact with one another in the ways they see fit. However, after keeping a journal for five days and making note of the interactions amongst my boss, best friend, professor, and I, it was easier to realize the point in which both theories were suggesting. The purpose of this paper is to examine my interaction amongst my three candidates and then make the connection with both Goffman and Hochschild’s work. Goffman is interested in the ways people in daily life present themselves and present their activities to those around them. He highlights the concept of impression management. Impression management is “the ways in which the individual guides and control the impressions others form of them. Goffman’s key argument is that the “individuals deliberately give and inadvertently give off sign “cues” that provide others with information on how to respond. From this, individuals may develop a definition of the situation. He states in constructing this definition of the situation, actors engage in performances, whereby each tries to present him or herself in a way that will be beneficial. For example, when a person goes on an interview for a perspective job he or she would want to present themselves in a fashion that would be beneficial in trying to capture the job, such as proper attire, resumes, and any prop that would demonstrate skills of portraying a hard worker. Goffman offers several key concept that discuss the performance of the individual in which he or she gives cues deliberately or inadvertently to convey the desired response of their observers. Among
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