Psychology
Symbolic Interactionism in the Study of Self and Identity
Quick fact
Symbolic interactionism argues that the self is not a fixed inner entity but an ongoing social creation, continuously rebuilt through conversations and gestures—so much so that a person can hold multiple, sometimes contradictory identities that are called forth in different settings.
Why this is interesting
Have you ever felt like you become a different person around different friends or family? How is it that your sense of 'you' shifts from one situation to the next?
Read the full explanation
Understanding Symbolic Interactionism in the Study of Self and Identity
Think of a conversation as a dance of meanings. You say something, but before your friend replies, they interpret your words based on language, tone, and context—then respond. Your own next move is based on how you interpret their response. In this back-and-forth, you are constantly adjusting your actions to the meanings you both create. Symbolic interactionism says this is how we build a sense of self. Rather than having a pre-formed 'personality' that we carry around, we develop our identity through these interactions. We imagine how others see us—their 'reflected appraisals'—and we internalize those perceptions. Over time, we build a stable story about who we are, but it's never finished; it's always being edited in the present moment.
A deeper explanation
The mechanism behind symbolic interactionism rests on three core assumptions: we act toward things based on the meanings they hold for us, meanings arise from social interaction, and meanings are modified through interpretation. The most crucial symbol is language, which lets us share and negotiate meanings. Through language, we can 'take the role of the other'—we can imagine how another person sees us, including seeing ourselves as an object. This ability is the foundation of the self. George Herbert Mead described the self as having two parts: the 'I' (the spontaneous, impulsive self) and the 'Me' (the socialized self that reflects the expectations of others). Identity emerges as we internalize the attitudes of significant others (like parents) and the 'generalized other' (society's norms). Each time we interact, we reaffirm or modify our identities, and we even perform different identities in different contexts, as Erving Goffman highlighted with his dramaturgical model. This perspective matters because it reveals that our sense of self is not a private possession but a social achievement, open to change and vulnerable to social feedback.