Max Weber and Symbolic Interactionism

Society and Social Interaction SOCI 1306 Max Weber and Symbolic Interactionism Max Weber is undoubtedly one of the most influential sociologists of all time, even if Karl Marx is arguably the most well-known thinker of the nineteenth century. He shared the concerns of the other social theorists included here over the significant changes that industrialization was bringing about in Western society. Additionally, he shared the same anxiety that industrialization would have a detrimental impact on people as did Marx and Durkheim. Weber's main areas of interest on the social structure were power, status, and class. Weber, like Marx, believed that class was determined by the economy. He thought that there were two classes in society: owners and labourers. Conversely, status was determined by non-financial elements including family, religion, and level of education. The power, or influence, on thoughts of an individual was defined by their class and rank. Weber, in contrast to Marx, thought that these concepts were the cornerstone of society. Weber used the idea of rationalisation as the main focus of his study of contemporary society. A civilization that prioritises efficiency and logic over morality or tradition is said to be rational. Weber believes that capitalism makes perfect sense. When pushed too far, though, this might have unfavourable consequences even while it promotes efficiency and merit-based achievement. This may be seen in certain contemporary civilizations where a concentration on creating similar items everywhere and a mechanised work environment are the result of tight design and inflexible procedures. Charlie Chaplin's iconic film Modern Times (1936) offers another illustration of the absolute limits of logic. The character played by Chaplin is so adept at a repetitive chore that he finds it impossible to stop even when he is not on the job. In fact, the term "repetitive stress syndrome" refers to a medical condition that is now recognised as a result of these duties. In addition, Weber differed from his forebears in that he was more concerned with the ways in which people interacted with societal divides than with the divisions per se. The third of the three most well-known theories of sociology, symbolic interactionism, is built on Weber's early theories emphasising the individual's perspective and relationship to society. According to Weber, the conclusion of rationalisation, industrialization, and similar processes creates what he called the "iron cage," a place where bureaucracy and institutions imprison the person. This results in a feeling of "disenchantment of the world," which Weber used to characterise humanity's ultimate state. It was a dire forecast, to be sure, but one that has, at least in part, come true (Gerth and Mills 1918). Supermarkets have replaced family-run businesses in today's rationalised society. Local restaurants have been replaced by chain restaurants. Superstores have supplanted individual enterprises that catered to a single product line, such food, hardware, apparel, or car repair, with vast arrays of items. Retail establishments, eateries, fitness centres, and even apartments can be found in shopping malls. Though this modification could make sense, is everyone in favour of it? We have mostly talked about the distinctions across societies up to this point. Instead of going over their issues and arrangements, we'll now look at the history of society and the sociologists' perspectives on social interaction. The Social Construction of Reality is a book written in 1966 by sociologists Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. They made the case that people and their interactions with one another—a process they refer to as habitualization—create society. According to Berger and Luckmann (1966), habitualization is the process by which "any action that is repeated frequently becomes cast into a pattern, which can then be... performed again in the future in the same manner and with the same economical effort." We not only build our own society, but we also accept it for what it is since it was established by people before us. In actuality, society is "habitual." For instance, because you and other people concur that your school is a school and not merely a structure, it truly exists as such. If your school was established by the consent of those who came before you, it is likely older than you. It is, in a way, the result of past and present agreement. This is an illustration of the institutionalisation process, which is the act of introducing a custom or standard into the community. Remember that the institution is genuine while being socially manufactured. The famous Thomas theorem by W.I. Thomas, which asserts that "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences," offers an additional perspective on this idea (Thomas and Thomas 1928). That is, rather than being influenced by an objective reality, people's actions might be influenced by their subjective interpretation of it. Teens who are labelled as overachievers, players, or bums, for instance, may live up to the name even though it didn't originally describe them. Similar to how Berger and Luckmann define habitualization, Thomas claims that "successful definitions of the situation" shape our moral standards and social conventions. Sociologist Robert K. Merton describes this idea as a self-fulfilling prophecy. According to Merton, if a self-fulfilling prophesy is followed, even a false notion has the potential to come true. He uses the example of a "bank run" as one. Let's say that, for whatever reason, many individuals have the unfounded worry that their bank is about to fail. People rush to their bank and demand all of their cash at once because of this untrue belief. The bank does run out of money, realising the clients' prophecy, because banks seldom, if ever, have so much cash on hand. An concept creates reality in this instance. Symbolic interactionists provide an alternative perspective for examining how society constructs reality. This method is interested in how individuals perceive symbols in everyday interactions, with a theoretical focus on the symbols (such as language, gestures, and artefacts) that people use to engage. For instance, we may get afraid if we see someone brandishing a gun—unless, of course, that someone is a police officer. Interactionists also acknowledge that our ideals are reflected in our language and body language. To understand that not all English words are easily translated into other languages, one should just pick up a foreign language. Similarly, with regards to gestures. A "thumbs up" may indicate "great" to Americans, but it really means "one" in Germany and "five" in Japan. Thus, our symbolic exchanges shape the reality we build.