Herbert Blumer

From Geography

Blumer invented the term symbolic interactionism in 1937. In this he was continuing the work of George Mead, his tutor. According to Blumer, people interact with each other by interpreting other persons actions. So interaction is based on symbolic interpreted reactions instead of physical direct (re)actions. Blumer was also influenced by John Dewey [1], who insisted that human beings are best understood in relation to their environment. Blumer's idea is criticized for putting too much emphasis on day-to-day life and the social formation of the individual while ignoring social structure

While it is not possible to capture the great range and significance of his contributions to the study of human group life in a single quotation, this often-cited passage from his most influential and widely read work, Symbolic Interaction: Perspective and Method, sets out the cardinal premises of symbolic interactionism and the central message of his scholarship:

The first premise is that human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings that the things have for them…. The second premise is that the meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with one’s fellows. The third premise is that these meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he encounters (Blumer 1969, p. 2).

References

Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Published by Bernard Jansen & Sonny Joziasse

Edited by Loek Freulich 3004295 & Jorn Joosten 3027791