Question 1

What do symbolic interactionists study? Why do extreme situations, like the plane crash in the Andes described in this chapter, provide such good examples of the social processes of interest to symbolic interactionists?

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Question 2

What is microsociology? List the theoretical frameworks considered to be within the realm of microsociology and indicate why they belong in this category.

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Question 3

Compare and contrast the three theoretical frameworks within the symbolic interactionist face of sociological social psychology.

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Question 4

Discuss the role of language in social life from the perspective of a symbolic interactionist. Why is language also a key interest of ethnomethodologists?

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Question 5

How do (Chicago school) symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology differ in focus? Why did Garfinkel find it useful to have his students violate social norms and observe people's behaviors? That is, why are breaching experiments an appropriate method for the study of everyday social behaviors for the ethnomethodologist?

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Question 6

Briefly describe the focus of ethnomethodology. How is ethnomethodology different from symbolic interactionism? Why is ethnomethodology considered to be within the symbolic interactionist face of social psychology?

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Question 7

Discuss the strategies that college students use to reveal good grades to peers without appearing conceited. Which, if any, of these responses have you used or observed among others? Are high school students likely to use similar tactics to let others know they did well on a test? Why do you think there is likely to be this consistency or lack of consistency between high school and college students when it comes to the implementation of classroom impression management strategies?

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Question 8

What happens to students who don't fulfill normative expectations pertaining to the revelation of good exam grades? Use this situation to illustrate the focus of Goffman's dramaturgical approach.

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Question 9

Discuss the differences between front stage and back regions, as identified by Goffman.

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Question 10

Give an overview of Goffman's dramaturgical perspective. How does this model of social behavior differ from the symbolic interactionist perspective (i.e., Chicago school symbolic interactionism)? Describe how the concepts and processes Goffman identified have been applied to behavior in college classrooms. To what extent does the dramaturgical approach enhance our understanding of behavior in this and other social settings?

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Question 11

Contrast the Chicago and Iowa/Indiana schools of symbolic interactionism. In doing so, highlight the key defining characteristic of each framework and use examples of specific theories and/or studies to illustrate the distinction between these two traditions. Why, despite their differences, are both schools of thought are considered to be symbolic interactionist? Which of the two perspectives do you think is the most useful for understanding human social behavior? Why do you fav

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Question 12

Briefly describe the difference between the Chicago school and the Iowa/Indiana school of symbolic interactionism. Why do Chicago school symbolic interactionists favor qualitative over quantitative methods of data collection (i.e., why do they conduct field or ethnographic research rather than using surveys or experiments)? Why do Iowa/Indiana school symbolic interactionists use surveys as a method of data collection?

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Question 13

What makes fan-celebrity encounters unique? How has this presented problems for both celebrities and fans? Are the patterns of interaction described by Ferris surprising given people's levels of media exposure within this culture? Why or why not?

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Question 14

Compare your classroom experiences to the patterns identified by Karp and Yoels in the 1970s. What would you say has changed, and what hasn't changed, in the past thirty to forty years? What is the consolidation of responsibility? To what extent do Karp and Yoels' arguments about the consolidation of responsibility apply to contemporary college students?

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Question 15

Why do Becker and Geer believe that participant observation is a superior to in-depth nterviews? Use results from the article by Besen, on teens who work in coffee shops, to support or refute Becker and Geer's arguments. What would Becker and Geer say about the use of surveys to assess people's perceptions and behaviors?

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Question 16

Referencing the last question, describe the different situational definitions that were constructed, and the ways in which the individuals' perceptions might have been influenced by their social characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, level of education, occupation, or marital status), goals, or previous experiences. What impact did these varying situational definitions have on people's behavior?

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Question 17

The notion that situational definitions play a major role in shaping people's behavior is key to the symbolic interactionist perspective. Give an example, from personal experience or a public (media) account, of an instance where two or more people arrived at different definitions of the same situation. Describe the events that actually took place (as accurately as you can)

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Question 18

What is a situational definition? Give an example from the assigned reading, lecture, or your personal experience of an interactive setting in which people had competing situational definitions. Why is this concept so central to Chicago school symbolic interactionism?

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Question 19

Why is it useful to study extreme situations, like the experience of the survivors of the plane crash discussed in Chapter 3, who had to eat human flesh in order to stay alive?

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Studying extreme situations can reveal the social processes and dynamics that are less visible in everyday life, as individuals are forced to construct their realities in response to the crisis.

Question 20

Suppose that a professor is ten minutes late for class. From a symbolic interactionist perspective, the meaning of this behavior is a function of:

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Symbolic interactionism emphasizes the importance of social interactions and the meanings behind them. In this situation, the meaning of the professor's behavior of being late is determined by the students' responses to her tardiness. The students may interpret her lateness in different ways based on their personal experiences and beliefs. For example, some students may see it as disrespectful, while others may not be bothered by it. Therefore, the meaning of the professor's behavior is subjective and can vary from person to person.

Quiz 3: Symbolic Interactionism and Related Perspectives