List and briefly discuss the three major premises of symbolic interaction. Based on the logic of the premises, how would you “solve” the “problem of order”?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The first premise is that human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings that the things have for them. Such things include everything that the human being may note in his world—physical objects, such as trees or chairs; other human beings, such as a mother or a store clerk; categories of human beings, such as friends or enemies; institutions, such as a school or a government; guiding ideals, such as individual independence or honesty; activities of others, such as their commands or requests; and such situations as an individual encounters in his daily life. The second premise is that the meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with one’s fellows. The third premise is that these meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he encounters. (Blumer 1969:2) Blumer’s remarks reveal a clear picture of the problem of order. Social life is seen as a dynamic process in which actors, through interpreting the gestures of others as well as their own, are at every moment creating and recreating the patterns of behavior that form the basis for the social order. However, when we turn to the problem of action (what motivates individuals or groups to act), the same explicitness is, unfortunately, not to be found.