The classroom is a dynamic, interactive environment in which students are continually evaluating, questioning, debating, and in turn, shaping social reality. Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Social Psychology and Sociology, Third Edition, provides students with a succinct, engaging, and affordable introduction to symbolic interactionism, the perspective that social reality is created, negotiated, and changed through the process of social interaction.

Focusing on how elements of race and gender affect identity, authors Kent L. Sandstrom, Daniel D. Martin, and Gary Alan Fine use interesting, relevant real-world examples to discuss the personal significance of symbolic interactionism, its expanding theoretical scope, and its relationship to other prominent perspectives in sociology and social psychology. They skillfully cover empirical research topics that are inherently interesting to students, such as the dynamics of self-development, impression management, identity transformation, gender play, rumor transmission, and collective action.

Thoroughly revised and updated in the third edition, this best-selling book now offers additional group assignments and activities at the end of each chapter in order to encourage student participation. Featuring updated case studies throughout, this edition also moves the section on theoretical perspectives to the beginning of the text, thereby providing students with a more thorough conceptual framework from the outset.

Rich in pedagogical tools--including end-of-chapter summaries, key points and concepts, glossaries, readings lists, and discussion questions--Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Social Psychology and Sociology, Third Edition, effectively demonstrates the tremendous power people have in determining social reality. Ideal for courses in symbolic interaction, individual and society, and social psychology, this unique text helps students understand how symbolic interactionism works, both in theory and in practice.

Each chapter ends with a Summary, a Glossary of Key Terms, Questions for Reflection or Assignment, and Suggested Readings for Further Study.
Preface:
Acknowledgments:
About the Authors:
1. The Meaning of Symbolic Interactionism
The Origins and Development of Symbolic Interactionism
Pragmatism and Sociology: The Contributions of George Herbert Mead
The Emergence of Symbolic Interactionism:
Guiding Assumptions of the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
How Is Interactionism Relevant and Beneficial to You?
Understanding Yourself and Your Choices:
Understanding Joint Action:
2. The Interactionist Toolkit: Methods, Strategies, and Relevant Perspectives
Methodological Traditions and Practices
Changing Directions in Interactionist Ethnography
Alternatives to Ethnography: The Iowa School and Conventional Scientific Methods
Related Social Psychological Perspectives
Dramaturgical Theory:
Exchange Theory:
Social Cognition Theory and Cognitive Sociology:
Ethnomethodology:
Emerging Voices and Perspectives Within Interactionism
Feminism:
Conflict Theory:
Postmodernism:
3. People as Symbol Makers and Users: Language and the Creation of Reality
Creating and Transforming Reality
Sensation:
Conceptualization and Categorization:
Symbols, Signs, and Meanings:
The Importance of Symbols:
Naming "Reality" and Creating Meaningful Objects:
Language, Naming, and the Construction of Reality
The Necessity of Language:
Language, Naming, and Our Constructions of Others:
Language, Naming, and the Construction of 'Inner' Reality: Emotional Experience:
4. Socialization: The Creation of Meaning and Identity
Self-Development and the Stages of Socialization
The Preparatory Stage:
The Play Stage:
The Game Stage:
Refinements of Mead's Theory of Socialization and Self-Development:
Socialization and the Creation of Gender Identity
Creating Gender Identity in Early Childhood:
Re-creating Gender Identity: Preadolescent Culture and Play:
Boys and Girls Together: Learning and Maintaining Gender Boundaries:
Socialization as an Ongoing Process: Turning Points in Identity
Passage to Adulthood:
Turning Points and Epiphanies: The Case of HIV/AIDS:
5. The Nature and Significance of the Self
What Is the Self?
The Self as Social Process
The Self as Social Structure
The Self-Concept: Its Structure and Contents:
Self-Esteem and Its Sources: Beyond the Looking-Glass Self:
The Impact of the Self-Concept:
The Self as Dramatic Effect
Staging the Self in Everyday Life:
Regions of Self-Presentation:
The Self as Situated Identity:
Beyond Goffman: The Drama of Self Versus the Experience of Self:
The Experience of Self in Postmodern Society
6. Role Taking, Role Making, and the Coordination of Action
Defining Situations and Their Reality
Roles, Role Taking, and Role Making
Role Taking:
Role Making:
The Coordination of Social Behavior: Aligning Actions
Aligning Actions and Motive Talk:
Emotions and the Coordination of Behavior
Emotions and Role Attachments: Role Embracement Versus Role Distance:
Power, Constraint, and the Coordination of Behavior
Relationships, Power, and Constraint:
The Characteristics of Asymmetrical Relationships:
Social Life as a Negotiated Order:
7. The Politics of Social Reality: Constructing and Negotiating Deviance
What Is Deviance?
The Absolutist View:
The Relativist View:
Labeling Theory and the Social Construction of Deviance
The Banning Process: Moral Entrepreneurs and the Making of Deviance:
The Detection Process: Seeing Deviance and Deviants:
The Attribution Process: Imputing Motives and Negotiating Identities:
The Reaction Process: Sanctioning and Its Effects:
Challenging and Transforming Deviant Labels: Tertiary Deviance:
Limitations and Extensions of Labeling Theory
The Construction of Social Problems
The Media and the Construction of Terrorism:
8. Collective Behavior and Social Movements
Collective Behavior
Riots:
Rumors:
Panics:
Social Movements
How Do Social Movements Emerge, and Why Do People Join Them?:
Strategies and Bases of Movement Recruitment:
Ideology, Identity, and Commitment:
Emerging Directions in Interactionist Analysis of Social Movements
Frame Analysis and Alignment:
The Culture of Social Movements:
Author Index:
Subject Index:

Kent L. Sandstrom , Professor of Sociology and Head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, University of Northern Iowa, United States

Daniel D. Martin , Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Duluth

Gary Alan Fine , Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University

Kent L. Sandstrom is Professor of Sociology and Head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology at the University of Northern Iowa. Daniel D. Martin is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Gary Alan Fine is Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University.

"The primary strength of this text is that it is written by established scholars who are also gifted teachers. Their pedagogical gifts show up in the writing of the text from cover to cover. The voice that they develop is one of a mentor writing to an apprentice. Their approach invariably encourages students to reflect critically on everyday life. The text is designed with how the classroom and how courses really work: it is flexible, thoughtful, and packed full of 'future directions,' questions, and even activity ideas that allow individual teachers to modify the text to their and their students' needs."--Karla Erickson, Grinnell College

"It is nothing short of astounding that Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality is so thorough a review of interactionism. I am amazed at how easily the authors include such volumes of information--yet the material is never overwhelming. . . . This text is an excellent resource for sociologically oriented social psychology courses. It deftly and thoroughly pairs accessible discussion of interactionist theories, methods, and concepts with contemporary case-study applications. That approach alone is praiseworthy, but combined with genuine prose and material that students can relate to, Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality deserves more than praise. It deserves to be required reading."--Bryce Merrill, University of Colorado, Boulder

"Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality is an essential resource for helping students gain an in-depth understanding of the historical development, guiding propositions, and contemporary vibrancy of the perspective of symbolic interactionism."--John Baugher, University of Southern Maine