Summary response paper

Summary response paper

Your paper should be roughly 750-1,000 words – three typed double-spaced pages (12 point font).

Provide an overview of the “symbolic interactionist” perspective in sociology – what are its main ideas, how does it differ from other sociological approaches. Next, summarize Erving Goffman’s “dramaturgical approach” (which is one variant of the interactionist perspective) and apply it to one specific social interaction that you have experienced in your social life. Examples are job interviews, first day on the job, first dates, meeting the parents of significant others, professional or in-class presentations. Discuss the “social scripts” that you follow and show how the concepts of “social roles,” “scripts,” “rehearsal,” “impression management,” “props,” “face-work” and “front” and “back” stage help describe your role performance. Be certain to define each of these concepts.

Solution Preview

Symbolic interactionist is a theory that focuses on the relationships and interactions of people in a community. This theory, therefore, views communication as a way in which people use symbols and language in order to interpret and make sense of their surroundings and their social world. This theory, therefore, plays a key role in shaping the framework of the sociological theory. This perspective details that human beings are active players in shaping and building the social interaction process. This theory, therefore, differs from other approaches in the fact that it does not view people as inactive players in the shaping of their social world (Short, 1979).

(896 words)