Description

Self and Society is a clearly written, up-to-date, and authoritative introduction to the symbolic interactionist perspective in social psychology and in sociology as a whole. Filled with examples, this book has been used not only in the classroom, but also cited in literature as an authoritative source. Self and Society is not a distillation of textbook knowledge, but rather, a thoughtful, well-organized presentation that makes its own contribution to the advancement of symbolic interactionism.

Features

• Takes a sociological perspective on social psychology, with a focus on the unique contributions of symbolic interactionism.
• Chapter 1 reviews other theoretical perspectives in sociology, to provide a context for understanding how interactionism fits into the broader field of social psychology.
• Presents an up-to-date discussion of the self as a social product and as a social force (Ch. 3).
• Tables in most chapters illustrate the interactionist perspective by summarizing key questions to ask when observing social life.
• Includes a “Keywords” section at the end of each chapter to define terms succinctly and provide an excellent review of the chapter.

New to this Edition

• New co-author, David Shulman, Professsor of Sociology at Lafayette College.
  
  
• Thorough update and rewrite, with new research and applications from the recent SI literature (the ideas of accounts, “disneyification,” dramaturgy and impression management, influence and persuasion, inferential heuristics, emotional labor, ethnomethodology, total institutions and trust.)
  
  
• New applications of symbolic interactionist ideas, including to celebrities, consumer behavior, casino design, doublespeak, high school bullying, malls, moral panics and websites.
  
  
• A new postscript provides applied exercises for readers interested in working further with the book’s ideas.   

Table of Contents

IN THIS SECTION:

1.) BRIEF

2.) COMPREHENSIVE

BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1 Introducing Social Psychology and Symbolic Interactionism

Chapter 2 Basic Concepts of Symbolic Interactionism

Chapter 3 Identity, Social Settings and the Self

Chapter 4 Defining Reality and Accounting for Behavior

Chapter 5 Understanding and Constructing Social Order

Chapter 6 Applications of the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1 Introducing Social Psychology and Symbolic Interactionism

What is Social Psychology?

What is Symbolic Interactionism?

Other Theoretical Approaches

Learning Theory

Psychoanalytic Theory

Exchange Theory

Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology

Social Cognition

Social Constructionism

Postmodernism

Major Tenets of Symbolic Interactionism

Chapter 2 Basic Concepts of Symbolic Interactionism

Symbols

The Nature of Symbols

The Consequences of Symbols

Objects

What is an Object?

Objects and Language

Acts and Social Acts

Phases of the Act

Self and the Control of Behavior

Self as Object

Self as Process

Roles and the Definition of Situations

Situations

Role

Role Making and Role Taking

Role Taking as a Generalized Skill

The Place of Emotions

Chapter 3 Identity, Social Settings and the Self

Learning the Social World

Stages of Socialization

Everyday Experience, Self and Impression Management

Performances as Cumulative Expectations

Conning Consciousness and Individual Agency

Identity: The Self as a Social Object

How We Produce Situated Identities

The Experience of Situated Identity

Social and Personal Identity

Social Identity

Personal Identity

Self-Image: Knowing the Self

Self-Esteem

The Self, Motive, and Motivation

Identity and Motivation

Self-Esteem and Motivation

The Self and the Social Order

Limitations on the Choice of Roles

Limitations on the Choice of Others

Limitations on the Choice of Stories

The Self in Contemporary Society

Chapter 4 Defining Reality and Accounting for Behavior

Role-Making and Role-Taking in Routine Situations

Reality Is Not Just There—We Define What Is Real

The Cognitive Bases of Role Making and Role Taking

Typification

Cognitive Theories and Inferential Heuristics

Causality

Means and Ends

Normative Standards

Substantive Congruency

Aligning Actions

Disclaimers

Accounts

Emotions and Social Interaction

Constraint and Social Interaction

Chapter 5 Understanding and Constructing Social Order

Social Order as Coordinated Activity

Influence

Creating Social Bonds

Solving Problems and Trust

The Negotiated Order

Talking

Explaining Disorder

Social Problems

Chapter 6 Applications of the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

Variations on Total Institutions

Author

John P. Hewitt is Professor (Emeritus) of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He received his PhD in Sociology from Princeton University.

David Shulman is an Associate Professor and Department Head of Anthropology and Sociology at Lafayette College. He received his PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University. He is author of From Hire to Liar: The Role of Deception in the Workplace (Cornell University Press, 2007), co-author (with Gary Alan Fine) of Talking Sociology 5th edition (Allyn and Bacon, 2002) and co-editor (with Ira Silver) of Academic Street Smarts: Informal Professionalization of Graduate Students (American Sociological Association 2008). His scholarship addresses the subjects of deception, impression management and symbolic interaction.