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Meaning Making, Labeling, And Self In Symbolic Interactionism: Teacher Identity And Everyday Life, Melissa Brooks-Yip

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Symbolic interactionism helps explain the meaning of labels in education and how this impacts teacher identity and professionalism. This article will explore elements of the symbolic interactionism theoretical framework: everyday life actions and interactions, meaning-making, language, labeling and symbols, identity, and teachers' self. Implications will follow.

Indigenous Women In Active Drug Abuse Recovery: An Analysis Of Native And Non-Native Programs, Raquel J. Muñoz

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In general, much has been written on the experiences of prototypical women in drug recovery programs, however there is only a scarcity of research on the experiences of rural women of color in drug recovery programs. Very few Northern American cultures had experience with alcohol before the first wave of European settlers. Responses to intergenerational trauma faced by Native women include substance abuse, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal thinking, and more. Due to socioeconomic disadvantages drug and alcohol abuse tends to be a coping mechanism for many Native American women. Drawing on the narratives of ten Indigenous women who are …

An Interactionist Approach To Btlg Pride, Lain A.B. Mathers, Jason E. Sumerau

The Qualitative Report

Within and beyond Symbolic Interactionism, sociological studies of bisexual, transgender, lesbian, and gay (BTLG) populations have expanded dramatically in the past two decades. Although such studies have invigorated our understanding of many aspects of BTLG life and experience, they have thus far left BTLG Pride relatively unexplored. How do BTLG populations experience Pride, and what insights might such efforts have for sociologically understanding such populations and events? We examine these questions through an interview study of bi+ people (i.e., sexually fluid people who identify as bisexual, pansexual, or otherwise outside of gay/straight binaries; Eisner, 2013). Specifically, we analyze how bi+ …

Multiple And Ranked Generalized Others In Symbolic Interactionist Theory With Implications For Difference And Inequality, Thomas E. Janoski, Chrystal Grey, Darina Lepadatu

Sociology White Papers

Mead and Blumer propose the important role of the generalized other but this concept has been largely overlooked in later symbolic interactionist theories and research. This has implications for the social psychology of difference and inequality, especially since the generalized other can be a powerful tool as W. E. B. DuBois' concept of "dual consciousness" points out. Blumer' s "sense of group position" has been used to focus on difference, but this term usually requires a structural leap. To re-emphasized the generalized other in symbolic interactionist theory, we make five points: (1) the social construction of identity involves multiple-selves based …

Do Not Pass Go: Expanding The Generalized Other In Symbolic Interactionist Theories Of Difference And Inequality, Thomas E. Janoski, Chrystal Grey, Darina Lepadatu

Sociology White Papers

Mead and Blumer propose the important role of the generalized other but this concept has been largely overlooked in later symbolic interactionist theories and research. This has implications for the social psychology of difference and inequality, especially since the generalized other can be a powerful tool as W. E. B. DuBois' concept of "dual consciousness" points out. Blumer' s "sense of group position" has been used to focus on difference, but this term usually requires a structural leap. To re-emphasized the generalized other in symbolic interactionist theory, we make five points: (1) the social construction of identity involves multiple-selves based …

Latino/A Adults With Down Syndrome Make Sense Of Family While Growing Up In A Bilingual Home, Linda M. Baron Cortes

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Previous research focuses on the linguistic capacities of individuals with DS and how dual language exposure can hinder or support their cognitive development (Chapman & Hesketh, 2001; Kay-Raining Bird, et al., 2005), yet research regarding how an adult with Down syndrome (ADS) makes meaning of family within Latino bilingual homes, where the ADS is the primary perspective taken into account, is missing in the research. This study aims to provide the perspective of adults with Down syndrome since conversations and research about their development should include their opinion and thoughts, especially when there continues to be a push for English-only, …

Integrating The Generalized Other Into Theories Of Difference: Balancing And Bridging In Symbolic Interactionism, Thomas E. Janoski, Chrystal Grey, Darina Lepadatu

Sociology White Papers

Symbolic interactionist theories need to use the generalized in order to explain difference, but this essential term has been neglected. A "sense of group position" has been used to focus on difference, but this term is too structural. To bridge this gap in symbolic interactionism, we show that a generalized other is socially constructed through framing; this process of social construction involves internalization or externalization; multiple generalized others routinely exist and they create multiple selves; generalized others may be positive or negative; generalized others are ranked in terms of importance to the self; and difference springs from these different rankings.

The Integration Of Records, Electronic Communication And Networks In Indonesia, Ike Iswary Lawanda

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: This paper aims to show how managers/users’ communication and negotiations through electronic communication reflect individual and organizational resilience facing the global changes in ICT. The networked record structure, as the centre of the interactions, symbolizes the internal and external communication process in the organization.

Design/methodology/approach: We analysed the integrated network structures of the record from six government offices and three multinational corporations and one international Non-Government Organization in Indonesia as symbolic interactions between individuals and groups who easily cope with ICT innovation and who find the innovation to be challenging. To validate our findings, we interviewed eleven stakeholders, consists …

“I Am Whatever You Say I Am”: The Social Construction Of Identity In Rural Drug-Using Women’S Narratives, Amanda Bolton

Dissertations

Previous narrative criminology research has examined how drug users manage their identities through discussions of themselves, while providing little insight into how they manage their identities through discussions of others(McIntosh & McKeganey, 2000; Rødner, 2005; Sandberg, 2009).It is important to consider others because according to many symbolic interactionists (Cooley, 1902; Goffman, 1959; Mead, 1934), identity is a social product that is constructed and maintained through social interaction with others and is based on perceptions of others. Cooley (1902) more specifically argued that one’s primary group (i.e., those that are relationally or proximally close to an individual) are even …

Breaking The Crass Ceiling? Exploring Narratives, Performances, And Audience Reception Of Women's Stand-Up Comedy, Sarah Katherine Cooper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the long history of stand-up comedy as a distinct form of popular entertainment, there has been little sociological attention given to its cultural significance. Comedians have arguably become legitimate and visible voices in many public conversations about social issues and social justice. This dissertation explores the cultural work of women’s comedy in popular culture. Specifically, I examine narrative representation and audience reception of women’s stand-up comedy through multi-method qualitative inquiry.

First, I analyze stand-up performances by popular U.S. comedians Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Margaret Cho. Through narrative analysis, I focus on the ironic performativity of Schumer and the …

Creating And Responding To The Gen(D)Eralized Other: Women Miners’ Community-Constructed Identities, Kristen Lucas, Sarah J. Steimel

Kristen Lucas

An analysis of interviews with mining families reveals that gender identity construction is a collaborative process that draws upon broader community discourses. Male miners and non-mining women created a generalized other for women as "unfit to mine" (i.e., women are physically too weak to mine, are easy prey, and are ladies who do not belong in the mines). Female miners responded with gendered discourses that distanced themselves from and linked themselves to the generalized other.

“Just Because A Doctor Says Something, Doesn’T Mean That [It] Will Happen”: Self-Perception As Having A Fertility Problem Among Infertility Patients, Ophra Leyser-Whalen, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan, Katherine M. Johnson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Only some individuals who have the medically defined condition ‘infertility’ adopt a self-definition as having a fertility problem, which has implications for social and behavioral responses, yet there is no clear consensus on why some people and not others adopt a medical label. We use interview data from 28 women and men who sought medical infertility treatment to understand variations in self-identification. Results highlight the importance of identity disruption for understanding the dialectical relationship between medical contact and self-identification, as well as how diagnosis acts both as a category and a process. Simultaneously integrating new medical knowledge from testing and …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Online Self-Harm Support Forums: Examining Users’ Online Activities During Self-Harm Desistance Processes, Claudia Volpe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Non- suicidal self-injury, commonly referred to as NSSI, is defined as the damage of one’s body tissue through the practices of, but not limited to, cutting, burning, branding, bone-breaking, biting, hair pulling and head banging (Adler & Adler, 2011), without suicidal intent (Lewis & Mehrabkhani, 2016). Self-harm literature has primarily focused on persistence processes and NSSI-related online interaction in the maintenance of pro self-harm ideology and practice. Alternatively, this research will provide insight into desistance processes of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and related online interactions by conducting a virtual ethnography (Hine, 2000) of open, online spaces, consistent with the symbolic interactionist …

The Sin Of Skin: Color And ‘Other’ In The Greco-Roman World, Grace Gill

Senior Theses and Projects

Many Scholars have denied the presence of racial categorizing in European Antiquity. Though there was no institutionalized system of ‘racial oppression’ like we are familiar with in today’s society, I contend that there are cultural precursors of ‘race’ in the Greco-Roman world, otherwise known as ‘proto-race’. All societies have means to categorize people and put them into hierarchies - this is a major focus in the field of sociology. I propose that color-symbolic language was used to make distinctions amongst and between people; further that by analyzing the context within which these ‘color- words’ were referenced, it illuminates the importance …

"It Ain't Easy Being On The Streets": Understanding The Needs Of Street-Involved Youth In Southern Ontario Through A Client-Centred Approach, Samantha Danielle Styczynski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Tens of thousands of street-involved youth in Canada live in various forms of precarious housing – living outside on the streets, in youth shelters, couch surfing, and so on. Research into the needs of street youth often employs a “top-down” approach, relying on health researchers as experts on their needs as opposed to directly engaging the sentiments of the youth themselves. This literature is often based on the assumption that meeting the needs of street youth involves providing access to opportunities for minimizing the risks posed by street life. This study serves as a counterbalance to this literature by employing …

Correctional Officers "Through The Looking Glass": Understanding Perceptions And Their Impact On Personal And Professional Identity, Emma Mistry

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

The external and institutional stressors that correctional officers face while performing their duties, such as managing a demanding workload, staffing shortages, and monitoring potentially dangerous inmates, have received some attention in the literature. However, researchers have not examined correctional officers’ perceptions of how others view their role and professional identity—whether prisoners, their families, or members of the general public—and how these perceptions are believed to influence an officer’s perspective of their work and their well-being. To explore this gap in the literature, this project seeks to analyze whether or not correctional officers sense these perceptions while performing their duties …

A Kind Of Peace : The Real World Of Firearms Owners, Zachary Miner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation addresses the topics of stigma and legal consciousness through close examination of the attitudes and life experiences of legal gun owners in upstate New York. Based in the symbolic interactionist tradition, and using a grounded theory approach, this project explores data gathered from participant-observation sessions, and semi-structured interviews with 37 participants. Analysis of this data reveals that respondents highlight safety, responsibility, skillful operation, and fun as the primary values they associate with the ownership and use of firearms. Additionally, in a departure from previous research in this area, respondents reported few individual experiences of social stigma, and engage …

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Calvin Morrill About Erving Goffman Entitled "Turns Out Goffman Had Been Observing Students The Whole Time And Used The Notes He Had Taken While Observing Their Behavior", Calvin Morrill

Calvin Morrill

This interview with Calvin Morrill, Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine, was recorded on August 3, 2008, during the ASA meeting in Boston. A group of sociologists assembled in the hallway was reminiscing about Goffman when Calvin Morrill volunteered this story and agreed to have it recorded. After Dmitri Shalin transcribed the interview, Dr. Morrill corrected the transcript and gave his approval for posting the present version in the Erving Goffman Archives.. Breaks in the conversation flow are indicated by ellipses. Supplementary information appears in square brackets. Undecipherable words and unclear passages are identified in the text …

Sociology And Anthrozoology: Symbolic Interactionist Contributions, Leslie Irvine

Leslie Irvine, PhD

This essay examines the sociological contributions to anthrozoology, focusing on research from the United States that employs a symbolic interactionist perspective. In particular, the work of Arluke and Sanders highlights the importance of understanding the meanings that animals hold for people. Using a selective review of their research, this essay outlines how a focus on understanding meaning can inform anthrozoological research. Arluke’s research on animal abuse reveals how harm must be defined in context. Sanders’s research on canine–human relationships documents how people come to understand companion dogs as persons. Both bodies of work rely on careful observation and listening to …

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Angelo A. Alonzo About Erving Goffman Entitled "I Asked Goffman If He Had Time And He Said “No” But If I Wanted To Talk As He Ran A Couple Of Errands On Telegraph Ave I Was Welcome To Come Along", Angelo A. Alonzo

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Angelo A. Alonzo, professor of sociology at the Ohio State University and Yale University, wrote this memoir for the Erving Goffman Archives at the request of Dmitri Shalin and approved posting the present version on the web.

Goffman, Simmel, And Chicago, Horst J. Helle

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

In summary, it seems that EG’s Frame Analysis deserves much more attention from our discipline as does the theoretical work of Georg Simmel.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With J. David Sapir About Erving Goffman Entitled "Seeing The Photographs Erving Said, "Do You Think That Those Pictures Say Anything About Reality? Absolutely Not. . ."", J. David Sapir

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

This memoir is written by Dr. J. David Sapir, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Anthropology, Virginia University, and it posted in the Goffman Archives with his permission. The extended paper from which this excerpt is taken can be found on this page,http://people.virginia.edu/~ds8s/WE-documentarystyle.pdf.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Donald Levine About Erving Goffman Entitled "Remembering Erving Goffman", Donald Levine

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Remembering Erving Goffman

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Peter Archibald About Erving Goffman Entitled "“If You Are Such A Great Sociologist, Why Are You Still In Canada?” My Encounter With Erving Goffman", Peter Archibald

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Peter Archibald, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the McMaster University, wrote this memoir at the suggestion of Tony Puddephatt and the request of Dmitri Shalin and gave his permission to post the present version in the Erving Goffman Archives.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Vincent Colapietry About Erving Goffman Entitled "Remembering Erving Goffman", Vincent Colapietro

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Notes from Vincent Colapietro

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Laurel Richardson About Erving Goffman Entitled "When I Told The Group I Was The Daughter Of A Jewish Woman Who Emigrated From Russia, Goffman Said, “So That Explains Why You Are So Smart”", Laurel Richardson

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Laurel Richardson sent this note about her encounter with Erving Goffman on January 4, 2014, and gave her approval for adding it to the Goffman Archives.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Peter Miller About Erving Goffman Entitled "The Perilous Journey Of The Self And The Salvation Of Private Life: Reflections From Dmitri Shalin's 'Interfacing Biography, Theory And History: The Case Of Erving Goffman'", Peter Miller

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Notes from Peter Miller

Erving Seemed Surprised At How Little “Power” Came With The Asa Presidency, And Noted That The Position Of Secretary Carried Much More Clout, James F. Short

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. James F. Short, Professor Emeritus at the Washington State University, wrote this memoir at the request of Dmitri Shalin and gave his permission to post it in the Erving Goffman Archives.

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Edward Tiryakian About Erving Goffman Entitled "Parsons Was About 5'6" Or 5'5" But When He Started To Speak, He Got To Be Six Feet Five", Edward Tiryakian

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

This interview with Edward Tiryakian, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Duke University, was recorded on August 23, 2011, at the Mediterranean Café in Las Vegas. Dmitri Shalin transcribed the interview, after which Dr. Tiryakian edited the transcript and approved posting the present version in the Goffman Archives. Breaks in the conversation flow are indicated by ellipses. Supplementary information and additional materials inserted during the editing process appear in square brackets. Undecipherable words and unclear passages are identified in the text as “[?]” The interviewer’s questions are shortened in places.

Goffman Got Up And Moved To The Center Of The Room And Began Doing A Mime Strip-Tease, Peter Zelchenko

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Peter Zelchenko offered this memoir based on recollections of his mother, Gladys Meirovits, and approved adding the present version to the Erving Goffman Archives.