Product Review
Self and Society is a clearly written, up-to-date, and authoritative introduction to the symbolic interactionist perspective in social psychology and in sociology as a whole. Filled with examples, this book has been used not only in the classroom, but also cited in literature as an authoritative source. Self and Society is not a distillation of textbook knowledge, but rather, a thoughtful, well-organized presentation that makes its own contribution to the advancement of symbolic interactionism.
- Takes a sociological perspective on social psychology, with a focus on the unique contributions of symbolic interactionism.
- Chapter 1 reviews other theoretical perspectives in sociology, to provide a context for understanding how interactionism fits into the broader field of social psychology.
- Presents an up-to-date discussion of the self as a social product and as a social force (Ch. 3).
- Tables in most chapters illustrate the interactionist perspective by summarizing key questions to ask when observing social life.
- Includes a “Keywords” section at the end of each chapter to define terms succinctly and provide an excellent review of the chapter.
- New co-author, David Shulman, Professsor of Sociology at Lafayette College.
- Thorough update and rewrite, with new research and applications from the recent SI literature (the ideas of accounts, “disneyification,” dramaturgy and impression management, influence and persuasion, inferential heuristics, emotional labor, ethnomethodology, total institutions and trust.)
- New applications of symbolic interactionist ideas, including to celebrities, consumer behavior, casino design, doublespeak, high school bullying, malls, moral panics and websites.
- A new postscript provides applied exercises for readers interested in working further with the book’s ideas.
