After Weber's Symbolic Interaction paradigm, a host of other sociologists built upon his ideas including George Mead, W.I. Thomas and Herbert Blumer.
Here is an explanation of Blumer's ideas:
(1) Humans act toward things on the basis of the meanings that things have for them;
(2) the meanings of things derive from social interaction; and
(3) these meanings are dependent on, and modified by, an interpretive process of the people who interact with one another. The focus here is on meaning, which is defined in terms of action and its consequences (reflecting the influence of pragmatism). The meaning of a thing resides in the action that it elicits. For example, the meaning of "grass" is food to a cow, shelter to a fox, and the like. In the case of symbols, meanings also depend on a degree of consensual responses between two or more people. The meaning of the word husband, for example, depends on the consensual responses of those who use it. If most of those who use it agree, the meaning of a symbol is clear; if consensus is low, the meaning is ambiguous, and communication is problematic. Within a culture, a general consensus prevails on the meanings associated with various words or symbols. However, in practice, the meanings of things are highly variable and depend on processes of interpretation and negotiation of the interactants.
These meanings result in the roles that people play based on their social position.
Think about the meaning that people share about the things below. What meaning do they hold? Who shares the meaning? How does that meaning influence our reactions? How does the meaning get re-inforced and/or re-interpreted by society?
What do these mean?
How did this meaning come to be?
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