Theory Application Essay
The formation of self-identity is an important aspect that every human being should think about. Social scientists have examined individuals in order to compare with this theory that explains why a person handles situations the way they do and not in another way. Sociologists argue that the personality of an individual is created over time, while others suggest that a person is born with their concept of life. George Herbert Mead states in his theory of symbolic interactionism that a person’s behavior towards certain issues is created from their societally derived association. When a person sees their fellow peers do something, they will most likely do the same. This theory of self-identity applies in many of my own situations, especially the process of college entry. Being a first-generation student, I experienced the fear of socializing. I ended up confused and misinformed on the diversity of college courses, social techniques, and association in my first few weeks. The occurrence of a reaction to a situation originates from previously formed socially-influenced concepts of handling situations in the same proper manner.
The reaction towards social phenomenon is effectively directed by previously formed behavior patterns accrued from family and society. As a first generation student, I experienced a number of worries and unplanned shocks during my initial visit to the campus. Initially, I was afraid of the impact attending an out of state college would have on me. There was a lot of pressure coming from friends and family because it was the first time in a long time that they saw someone yearn for higher education. Considering that the expense of my tuition was substantial, going to college became a social factor, one in which placed me under the spotlight at all times. My neighbor went to college and so I knew beforehand that I was expected to select a college course and choose the specific residence plan. My neighbor informed me that he just went to school without a proper plan to follow, a factor I objectively decided to follow in my moving to a college plan. The neighbor had indicated that college was a simple place where I would easily be placed into a specific residence and I would make friends and prosper through my studies. Since the only other person I knew who had gone to college asserted these factors, I took them up as law. Mead, in his sociological theory of symbolic interactionism, affirms the occurrence of this aspect in the assertion of people accruing their conceptions of situations from social interactions (Stryker 2017). Considering that the decisions I made would have been detrimental to me if I had not had help, the choice to follow these assertions originated from associating with the only other college graduate I knew. Consequently, the occurrence of decision making amongst people results from symbolic interaction with societal facets. You never really know who you come into contact with until a conversation is held.
The initial reaction to a situation is affected by the observation of associates’ reactions to the same over time. After my first visit to the university’s campus, I was astonished at the difference from the assertions of my neighbor. The university was more diverse than I thought and had minimal issues that needed to be handled to ascertain a better outcome and possible graduation. The population index in the university classes was oddly different from the people I was used to back home. The people there were less friendly to strangers than the schools in California. My first reaction to this intense situation was to opt out of going to college to focus on business and other ventures. These thoughts began to cloud my judgement but then I remembered the success of some of my family members who didn’t attend college to make an honest living. Instead of attending college, some of my family members turned to the streets and made bad decisions that eventually turned into their lifestyle. I saw this growing up in my environment and demanded change. In the end, I chose to go to college after listening to my family’s earnest belief in my chance to make a better life for myself and taking up the necessary registration processes. Mead’s theory affirms this occurrence in the concept of the associative aspect of symbolic interactionism. In the statement of the value attached to a situation, Mead affirms that a person’s reaction is indicative of their surrounding associates’ actions in a similar position (Denzin 2016). Therefore, if a person consistently sees quitting as a possible step towards avoiding the possible risks of failure, they are bound to opt for the same rather than choosing a different path from their societally seen attribute. Consequently, a person’s conception of a situation originates in the surroundings of their upbringing.
In conclusion, the formation of self identity is a complex occurrence that forms from factors like society and interactions. In my initial experience with college, I experienced fear because of my prior expectations and the subsequent discovery of the different state of affairs. True to Mead’s concepts in symbolic interactionism I reacted according to what I had seen in my society. Consequently, symbolic interactionism is a certifiable concept in the formation, retention, and handling of one’s everyday life situations.
References
Denzin, N. K. (2016). Symbolic interactionism. The international encyclopedia of communication theory and philosophy, 1-12.
Stryker, S. (2017). Symbolic interactionism: Themes and variations. In Social psychology (pp. 3-29). Routledge.