Symbolic Interactionism Homosexuality As A Society

Symbolic Interactionism: Homosexuality As a society, we feed off of each other for what a proper response to something may be. As children, we first look to see our mother’s reaction after falling down; if she is calm, I should also be. We look to each other for what a definition of things should be, as well. In the 1950’s, it was generally obscene for a woman on television to show her belly button, whereas today we will show nude breasts on primetime programming. This follows the sociological theory of symbolic interactionism, where society and individual social interaction provides a subjective meaning to deviant behavior. Many social definitions change for the better, however some change for the worse. One such example was once viewed as normal, with no second thoughts given to it, but now is seen as an actual social problem affecting some groups aversely. This is the topic of homosexuality, a subject that has been on the receiving end of both accepting and discriminating cultures for thousands of years. In the past, the general attitude towards homosexual and bisexual individuals was common acceptance and normality. Homosexuality in native Africa was quite prevalent, even if it was often repressed by Roman Catholic explorers who came across these behaviors. Anthropologists Stephen Murray and Will Roscoe reported that â€Å"women in Lesotho engaged in socially sanctioned long term relationships with each other called motsoalle† In the early Americas, a frequent belief wasShow MoreRelatedIs BDSM Still Deviant1605 Words   |  7 Pageshas become a hot topic in our society lately since the book Fifty Shades of Grey went public in 2011. BDSM is an acronym for bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism /masochism. The term BDSM is defined as a variety of erotic practices involving power play. Now because this term does not cover everyone in the kink community, known as an umbrella term, people are now starting to use the term WIIWD, which stands for â€Å"What it is we do†. I will be using symbolic interaction theory to describeRead MoreA Report On The Crime On Children1291 Words   |  6 PagesShackleford and Christi torture. When examining the crime, sexual orientation is a dominant factor in the case. Culture and social norms influence all aspects of human behavior as the society establishes lifestyles by which the community members live. The structural functionalist perspective suggests that every aspect of the society is important and interdependent on other aspects. The idea is that crime in the right amount helps the organization to develop effectively its norms by identifying and punishingRead MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriages1028 Words   |  5 Pagesto issue marriage licenses to a same-sex couple. She did not issue because she did not believe that homosexuality should be accepted in society. Many people agreed to the act but others opposed. There are many ways to look at homosexuality and here are three different sociological perspectives of how gay marriage is recognized. The perspectives are structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory. From the perspective of structural- functionalist, Christianity has been theRead MoreThe Communist Party1696 Words   |  7 Pagesand other people’s opinions. Inequality comes in many forms, expressed through viewing wage gaps between men and women and between races in the terms of the conflict theory. As Karl Marx expressed through the conflict theory, every citizen in a society is struggling to gain access to resources. This competition exists not only between classes, but within each class as every person strives to make their life and decedents’ lives better. In an excerpt from â€Å"Manifesto of the Communist Party,† the authorsRead MoreDeviance Theory and Drug Use1619 Words   |  7 PagesTheories of Deviance Applied to Drug Use Since the dawn of society there have been people whose behavior differed from the rest of society. There are many different theories and perspectives on why people do things like abuse drugs, and although we my never have all the answers, sociology still help us to understand the problem better. In order to understand the theories of deviance, and apply them to drug use in our society one must first understand what deviance is. Alex Thio defines devianceRead MoreSymbolic Interactionism and YOU Essay example1647 Words   |  7 PagesAs a society, we feed off of each other for what a proper response to something may be. As children, we first look to see our mother’s reaction after falling down; if she is calm, I should also be. We look to each other for what a definition of things should be, as well. In the 1950’s, it was generally obscene for a woman on television to show her belly button, whereas today we will show nude breasts on primetime programming. This follows the sociological theory of symbolic interactionism, whereRead MoreSexuality, Sexuality And Sexual Orientation1111 Words   |  5 Pagestheory, this theory argues that society consists of interrelated parts that work together to promote social order, unity, and balance. The structural-functional p aradigm can be broken down by other type on functions: manifest functions, latent functions, and dysfunctions. The manifest functions regulates with whom your reproduce, regulates sex within a marriage, incest taboo, and birth control (â€Å"A Theoretical Analysis of Sexuality†, Wisc-Online). This argues that society depends on sexuality for reproductionRead MoreSymbolic Interactionism Of Social Life Essay2221 Words   |  9 PagesQuestion 1 To begin with, symbolic interactionism is the study of interactions in everyday life, or what people do. Moreover, it rejects the claims that the moral dimensions of social life can be studied scientifically, while emphasizing that people are â€Å"free agents† not determined by our social system; rather we make our own decisions (Reynolds, 2016, Lecture on Symbolic Interactionism). Furthermore, it â€Å"views reality as socially constructed† and â€Å"as a symbolic order† in which language is vitalRead MoreEssay on Comparison of George Herbert Mead and Sigmund Freud3378 Words   |  14 PagesConsidering both theoretical prospectives, this study is going to examine and apply both theories as it relates to deviant behavior and homosexuality. The present study is going to analyze deviant behaviors and homosexuality according to the views of both Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality and George Herbert Mead’s social self-theory. Keywords: homosexuality, deviance, George Herbert Mead, Sigmund Freud, id, ego, superego, â€Å"I’, â€Å"me†. The Work ofRead MoreEver Since The Beginning Of Time, Humans Needed Some Type1256 Words   |  6 Pages Ever since the beginning of time, humans needed some type of system to live life. A system of social control, which involves formal and informal means of enforcing norms: rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a group or society. One thing that has seemed to be unacceptable and out of the norms in the past and a huge controversial topic was someone’s sexuality. Homosexulity is a very controversial topic, years ago and even today, there are many mixed feelings and different opinions