PART A: Symbolic Interactionism • Read White & Klein, chapter 4 – White, J.M., Klein, D.M., & Martin T.F. (2014). Family Theories: An Introduction (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. • Read Landry-Meyer, L. (1999). Research into action: Recommended intervention stragetgies for grandparent caregivers. Family Relations, 48, 381-389. • Read Madden-Derdich, D. A. (2002). Shared experiences, unique realities: Formerly married mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of parenting and custody after divorce. Family Relations, 51, 37-45. • Read Starrels, M. E. & Holm, K. E. (2000). Adolescents’ for family formation: Is parental socialization important? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 416-429. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuSkXVrEh6o 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rOgqwD2OjQ 3. https://www.ted.com/talks/spencer_wells_is_building_a_family_tree_for_all_humanity 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsDk1HJvCiA 5. http://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/50436_ch_16.pdf 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFQIIM8IRZU For FUN video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dsgQb3jkk4 Role strain & Role Conflict https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/individuals-and-society/social-interactions/v/role-strain-and-role-conflict Moms and the Role Strain http://www.smartmomz.com/moms-and-the-role-strain/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFQllM8lRZU sociology.about.com/od/Sociologicl-Theory/ss/Applying-Symbolic-Interation-Theory-to-Issues-of-Race-and-Gender.htm **IN 100 WORDS RESPOND TO THE ANSWER BELOW IN QUOTATIONS – USE PROPER APA FORMATTNG** #1 How can the symbolic interaction be performed without misinterpreting the meaning? ““Symbolic interactionism states that relationships between people are always reciprocal. Action leads to reaction, leads to action, leads to reaction. Norms emerge from interactions. Everyone is making interpretations, people create symbols. For example, if you get kissed, how will you or others interpret it? Individuals in society act according to the meanings that objects and events have for them, in which this meaning derives from social interactions. Each person experiences themselves not through direct information but only indirectly, with the help of the ability to adopt the other’s point of view. People have internal reactions and meanings for things in the world around them that they ascribe based on personal experiences and beliefs. These meanings can change overtime as new information is obtained and experiences occur. Symbolic interactionism is concerned with self-images, roles, interaction, and meaning making and focuses on reward and cost in relation to perceived meaning and interpretation. Symbolic interaction can be performed without misinterpreting the meaning by, Paying attention to the symbols within the persuasive context and utilize them. You can place the symbols there, how people interpret them includes how you interpret them. Different meanings can easily lead to communication problems. Problems can arise if the lines of communication are not open and assumptions are made. (White et al., 2015) stated the symbolic interactionist in the family field no doubt sometimes offer vague and ill-defined concepts. But the root of criticism probably lies in the fact that symbolic interactionism is so fecund it has given birth too many variants. Symbolic Interactionism opens a door to question the society built before the birth of new generations and demands that humans take responsibility for the construction of their reality. How people communicate and interact within a society says something about human beings and people should answer to what society is saying. The purpose of Interactionists is to look at behavior to uncover the effects of interaction and symbols because the effects can be significant indicators of societal functioning and societal issues. Symbolic Interactionism is useful approach for examining how language, thought, meaning, symbols, the roles humans play, behavior, and how they interact to create and re-create society. Having clear communication and well defined terms, is the key to using symbolic interactionism effectively so it is not misinterpreted. References White, J.M & Klein, D.M. (2007). Family Theories. New York: SAGE Publishing. Retrieved from: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15235cdf108a6d92 Blumer, Herbert.” A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 5 Mar. 2009 .”” #2 How reliable is the symbolic interactionism if applied in a family? For children I chose to discuss how reliable is the symbolic interactionism if applied in a family. A family is meant to consist of people who know and understand each other each other well. Parents ought to be conversant with their children and understand every gesture that they make. I noticed that as children grow, they tend to pull away from their parents, and this proves hard for parents to monitor them since they do not even open up and discuss issues as they used to do. It is during such times when the symbolic interactionism applies, and it assists in understanding them by observing their behavior. For better results, I propose that one needs to invest time to observe and pay attention to all actions, giving priority to the most repeated one (Reynolds & Herman-Kinney, 2003) For a couple I believe that before the children, couples need to know and understand each other well. Before they turn to be parents, they should be able to live well with one another. White & Klein (2007) states that couples should have the same goals to live together. In my opinion, together with talking, they could as well apply sociology to understand each other through symbolic interactionism. That helps to know the truth about the other partner without interrogating them and is reliable in that, if symbolic interactionism is well interpreted, then the couple gets a chance to know each other better and the effects that are related to the behaviors noted. I would like to remind them to take caution not to misinterpret the other partner which might lead to a conflict. This conflict might either bring misunderstanding, separation or even divorce. For guardians and relatives I have realized that the traits that the parents carry are the same that the children inherit. Starrels & Holms (2000) state that parental characters and their attitude towards life are expected to have a significant influence on the children. It means that, if the parents lay a good example to their offspring, then the same traits will be evident. Again I noticed that, symbolism interaction takes place naturally since the children are emulating what their parents do so this means that, parents have a big impact on the character of a child. Apart from imitating their parents, children’s actions can be used to define them, by observing them intently and relating their actions with the possible behavior (Madden-Derdrich & Leonard). That could be misinterpreted if not given enough time or not done in a professional way. Meyer (1999) states that symbolic interactionism is easy to interpret since people of the same family tend to have the same traits that are passed from one generation to another. For instance, I would say that it is not the responsibility of grandparents to fend for the family, but they take it upon themselves to care for their grandchildren in case their parents are not playing their roles well. It shows that the desire to play the role of a parent even at old age is still in them. However, they are faced with challenges due to their age and may be due to the lack of financial constraints. Symbolic interactionism in such a family is well interpreted, and one can tell how the children and the grandchildren from that family will be responsible parents. Blumer (1986) states that, symbolism interaction is influential and is based on similarity. I would say that, parents and adults should set a good example to the young ones since they emulate what they do. References White, J.M & Klein, D.M. (2007). Family Theories. New York: SAGE Publishing. Retrieved from: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15235cdf108a6d92 Starrels & Holm, (2000). Adolescents’ Plans for Family Formation: Is Parental Socialization Important? Journal of Marriage and the Family. Retrieved from : pdf Meyer, Laudry (1999). Research into Action: Recommended Intervention Strategies for Grandparent Caregivers. Retrieved from: pdf Madden-Derdich, Debra & Leonard, Stacie (2002). Shared Experiences, Unique Realities: Formerly Married Mothers’ and Fathers’ Perceptions of Parenting and Custody After Divorce. Retrieved from: pdf Blumer, H. (1986). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Berkeley: University of California Press. Reynolds, L. T., & Herman-Kinney, N. J. (2003). Handbook of symbolic interactionism. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. **IN 100 WORDS RESPOND TO THE ANSWER BELOW IN QUOTATIONS – USE PROPER APA FORMATTNG** ““ In your post under the heading of children, you discussed how the Symbolic Interactions Framework plays the most important role in childhood in parenting adolescent children. And, this is an important time to pay attention to children’s perspectives and experiences. Additionally, I feel as if Symbolic Interactions can be fully applied to understanding children of all ages. White, Klein, and Martin (2015) give an example of a young child asking a question with a complex answer. Before responding, the mother clarified the child’s question (White et al., 2015). By clarifying the question, the mother learned that the child was actually interested in another topic entirely (White et al., 2015). This allowed the mother to more fully understand her child’s perspective and grasp what the child wanted to know. Children hold a unique perspective of the world. During this time, we should take White et al.’s (2015) example and put ourselves in the child’s shoes. By doing this we can more fully empathize with them, help them, and establish a healthy, satisfactory relationship. References White, J.M., Klein, D.M., Martin, T.F. (2015). Family theories: An introduction (4th Ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.”” #3 Is it possible to get rid of the role strain on working mothers? What if the roles were reversed? Would the strain be as strenuous for a working father? Is it possible to get rid of the strain completely? **IN 100 WORDS RESPOND TO THE ANSWER BELOW IN QUOTATIONS – USE PROPER APA FORMATTNG** “”I do feel it is possible to get rid of the role stain on working mothers, It’s all about clear communication and adjustment. My situation is a prime example. I am married with 3 children ages 8, 4, and 2. In addition to working full time as a social worker, I am completing grad school. Over the last semester I had an episode of serious burn out. The contributing factors were that my spouse and I work opposite shifts, and no days of together. Therefore leaving me with the responsibility of getting the kids up and off to school childcare in the morning, picking them up, shopping, cooking, cleaning, dance classes, girl scouts etc., and off to bed 6 days a week, while trying to find time for school. Physically and mentally I was drained from years of doing this. Him switching shifts not an option, I had to let him know that I needed support and more effort on his part, before I snapped. After clearly defining what I needed and what his strengths are in helping me around the house. We now share the responsibilities, and have each made sacrifices He has taken on the role of getting the kids up and off to school, which now gives me extra time in the morning before work, since he works night he now a few times a week preps dinner for us before he leaves for work, and helps with laundry and cleaning. Not only has this helped me and relived stress and frustration at which the kids would be the ones I would take it out on, it has made our relationship stronger, I feel that I actually need my partner versus feeling like a single mother receiving child support to pay the bills. As a women being a caregiver, and domesticated is within my nature. For my working husband he doesn’t feel him picking up some of these domesticated roles are strenuous, but he is happy to see that I am relived and healthier because of the support he is offering, in addition he gets more time with the kids. I don’t feel strain will ever be completely eliminated in a relationship as at times one individual may need to carry more weight, as those cards just fall into their hands. We came to the conclusion although we are working a lot now, as we are building our future, are kids are not going to be young forever and one day less dependent on us. So for now we are making these adjustments.”” #4 Why do you think that dating aggression comes from role taking (an interactional variable) more so than background/demographic variables such as age or race? **IN 100 WORDS RESPOND TO THE ANSWER BELOW IN QUOTATIONS – USE PROPER APA FORMATTNG** “”According to White, Klein, and Martin (2015) interaction is more of an indicator of dating aggression than demographics (p. 93). When a person takes in consideration the role of their partner they learn to respect their position and realize how they may be feeling. The more understanding and compassion you have for your partner, the better your relationship can be. When there is an imbalance of role taking in relationships than more dating aggression occurs (White, et al, 2015). Additionally, role taking, results in better relationship satisfaction (White, et al, 2015). I can understand how this would affect a relationship. If a man is responsible for working and paying all the bills and then comes home and sees the house a mess, children fighting, and no food to eat, this could cause him to get upset. If he took in consideration his girlfriend/wife’s role he may consider that she cleaned up but the kids messed up the house and she is waiting to cook when he arrives so the food isn’t cold. If he thinks about her role and realizes that she may have been stressed all day with the children, he is likely to not get angry and aggressive towards her for what he perceives as doing something wrong. Additionally, if a woman finds out her husband is hundreds of dollars short on the rent/mortgage she can think about why this happened. She would analyze that he goes to work everyday but perhaps his check was shorter than usual and he is disappointed by this because he is normally capable of paying the bills. With this understanding of his role she could then be more supportive in this situation instead of being angry and aggressive. When couples take a moment and consider the needs of their partner and try to relate to their role, they will get along better. When couples don’t consider the role of their partner and only look at what is wrong with the situation, than contention can start. I think eventually that contention can lead into aggressive behavior and fighting. It makes sense that you try to understand someone’s role and what they may be experiecning before judging what you think they did wrong. Just having the ability to think about the other person shows you care and want to have a good relationship rather than constant fighting and disagreement. References White, J.M., Klein, D.M., Martin, T.F. (2015). Family theories: An introduction (4th Ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.”” #5 What are your thoughts on grandparents serving as primary caregivers for their grandchildren? **IN 100 WORDS RESPOND TO THE ANSWER BELOW IN QUOTATIONS – USE PROPER APA FORMATTNG** This question jumped out at me because I am that grandparent who was the primary caregiver for my now 7-year-old granddaughter. I raised my granddaughter from when she was about 8 months old to 5 years old. It was the best and hardest time of my life. At 50 I was not planning on starting over but I needed to step into to assist my son. His girlfriend was not capable of handling Brooklyn and he worked. I got custody of her and did the parenting for about 5 years. Unfortunately, her mom and my son broke up and she moved away; without taking my granddaughter. It was very hard but I wouldn’t change a thing. I realized that there were a lot of grandparent raising their grandchildren. In the charter school my daughter was attending, I would say 35 – 40% of the student were living and being cared for by grandparents. I think that when a parent can’t do their job family needs to step in. Whether that be grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. it is important to keep the children with family who cares. I was young enough to deal with a baby but you have some grandparent who are in their 60’s or 70’s now that hard. There is a young man about 14 years old, who’s grandparent are raising him and they are in their 70’s. A very sweet couple but it was a lot for them. As a matter of fact, the grandfather just pasted away this past summer. He is still living with the grandmother because the living situation with the parents is not healthy. If the grandparents are capable of caring for the child, it’s better than sending the children to CPS-child protection service. There are many different reasons why children need to live with grandparents and they are a great influence for children. It is truly sad that some parents can’t take care of their children but it’s a blessing to have family to fall back on. It seems to me that it has been a trend over the last two decades. When my son was finally able to be stable and have a secure job I gave his daughter to him and I’m proud to say he is doing great. I’m grateful I was able to help. Sometimes parents are incarcerated, using drugs or unable to deal with raising a child or children. I would rather see them safe with family than anywhere else. “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren”: Telling Our Stories: Poppa John https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U60pwxN4SJM #6 How would you use symbolic interactionism to help a family that was going through an event that was putting strain on their relationships? **IN 100 WORDS RESPOND TO THE ANSWER BELOW IN QUOTATIONS – USE PROPER APA FORMATTNG** “”Great question. As a therapist utilizing symbolic interactionism to help a family process stress, my primary goal would be to cultivate a sense of empathy for the other people involved by teaching them the skill of role taking. White, Klein and Martin (2015) state that although it is difficult to define, role taking is a fundamental component of symbolic interactionism. This is the case because imagining how another person, or actor, is experiencing his reality includes imagining all of the different societal expectations placed on that actor as well as all of the meanings that actor gives to the symbols around him/her. For example, let us say that the family in question is learning how to cope with the experience of the father losing his job. The father has been the sole provider and now his role of breadwinner has been taken from him. After two months of no income and no job opportunities on the horizon, the mother has obtained a teaching position in order to bring in a little money while the father continues his job hunt. The teenage son has become withdrawn and experienced a drop in grades during the process. The entire family has begun to experience tension and has sought therapy to help them in this new life experience. Using symbolic interactionism, I think it would be helpful to use an individual survey test with the family, similar to the example at the beginning of chapter 4 in White, Klein and Martin’s (2015) text. The test would include such questions as to how each individual perceives the father’s job loss to have affected them as a family. After the tests had been individually administrated I would then process through the results with the family all together. The goal in this would be to help the family realize that each individual family member is experiencing the same circumstance through different viewpoints, all of which are influenced by societal expectations. The father is experiencing the loss of his job with a certain amount of guilt, because he has always sensed that society expects him to provide financially for his family. On top of that he is experiencing as a significant shift in his perceived identity as sole breadwinner. The mother is wrestling with the conflicting societal messages imposed on her, that she be constantly available for her family’s emotional and household needs, and that she also should be proud of her new career and focused on its growth. The teenage son feels that society has placed an expectation and a promise on him, that if he study hard he will be able to work in his dream job someday. However, his father’s job loss has seemed to be a broken societal promise to him and therefore he is feeling that he no longer needs to hold up his end of the bargain of studying diligently. Symbolic interactionism can provide a valuable lens through which to counsel individuals and family groups. Thank you for the interesting question, it was fun to step into the role of therapist and imagine how a therapist might act if the societal expectation was assigned to me of providing excellent therapy through symbolic interactionism. Reference White, J. M., Klein, D. M., & Martin, T. F. (2015). Family theories: An introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.”” #7 How do you think certain events play a role in the social development of a person? Give an example. **IN 100 WORDS RESPOND TO THE ANSWER BELOW IN QUOTATIONS – USE PROPER APA FORMATTNG** “” I feel as if one event can impact a person’s social development tremendously! The main example that comes to my mind is my husband’s child hood. By all means, this is an extreme case, but when he was five, he got off of the school bus at his moms work to find his mom that had been murdered during a robbery. She worked at an insurance company and had been shot. My husband, being five, was naturally terrified but knew to call 911. When he did, cops arrived and everything was handled. The shooter, who was 16 at the time, was originally going to be tried as an adult. However, last minute he was tried as a minor and is currently roaming the streets in the same area that we reside in today. I believe at five years of age on that horrific day in September, twenty years ago changed the way in which my husband socially interacted with others for the rest of his life. To this day I have made several observations. To begin with, he is very reserved and shy. Not to the point where he is socially awkward but he avoids situations that involve large crowds and unfamiliar people. In other words, his guard is always up. I have been told that he was like this towards everyone once his mother was gone and he seemed overly shy to therapists and anyone that asked him to open up about the incident. Secondly, I have noticed that he has very little compassion towards men and a ton towards women. If an incident happens with a man, he believes there is no excuse for that mans behavior. However, with women he comes off as a complete gentleman and is incredibly caring and protective particularly over women in his family. For example, when he and I first started dating it blew my mind how much of a gentleman he was. Now looking back at it, it is interesting to see how the roles for each of us have changed. What started as him being the caregiver quickly shifted to me. As strange as this sounds, once things got serious I fully believe that I stepped into the mother role. This is a conversation we have had and he fully agrees. He says that at this point in his life I am the only mother figure he has ever consistently had so in a way he clings to our relationship and me. His dad offered many step mothers over the years. Often times I have to step back and remind him that he is my husband not my child therefore he needs to pitch in to the work related to the marriage and he agrees. Aside from this traumatic example, I do feel as if certain events can influence individual’s social interactions. Another example I have experience with is marriage. Once my husband and I got married, many of my social interactions changed just because there was a ring on my finger. If I went out with any of my single friends, I always feel the need to be more reserved and completely cognitively aware of my surroundings. Whereas I used to go anywhere and not meet a stranger, I now find it awkward to begin a conversation with anyone I do not have a reason to be interacting with. Ultimately I do feel as if that event greatly influenced the way in which my husband would interact socially with anyone he would come into contact with for the rest of his life. Certain events, especially traumatic ones, can influence individual’s social interactions for a lengthy amount of time. Even less traumatic events make an impact on individual’s social interactions, in my opinion.””
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