Symbolic Interactionism

Relationships are created when people find meaning in the interactions they share with others. Unlike animals, it act on its instinct as they are unable to communicate symbolically.(Griffin, p.62). People act based on symbolic meanings they find within any given situation and then interact with the symbols which eventually form around the relationships. Language is itself a symbolic form, which is used to anchor meanings to the symbols. We develop our self-concepts through interaction with others. We are influenced by culture and social processes, such as social norms. Our social structures are worked out through the social interactions with others.

According to Mead, the early life of childhood, most children pick up actions of people around them and mimicked it.(Griffin, p.62). As they grow older, according to Mead, self does not exist at birth but it is developed through interactions with others. Then the two part of self is developed which is "I" the unsocialised part of self and "ME" the socialised part which is perceived through the interaction with others.

For example; when babies are born, its is normal to dress a baby boy with blue and girl in pink. because it is culturally coded and shared among the people blue are for boys, pink are for girls. if otherwise, people may mistake the identity of the baby as vise versa. This can cause conflict as when they are dressed differently since little, they will developed an internal self conflict about their identity.  People will label them differently if a girl dresses like a boy = tomboy. Adding in the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy by Merton, the label attached to them became true because they started to believe that it has been their true identity from the start. The girl may somehow, change her identity to become a real men via plactic surgery and etc.

Reference:

Blumer, H. (1986). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Berkeley: University of Callifornia Press. (First published 1969) McClelland,K (February 21,2000). Symbolic interactionism . Available at: http://web.grinnell.edu/courses/soc/s00/soc111-01/IntroTheories/Symbolic.html

Griffin, E. (2009).  A First Look At Communication Theory (7th Edition).  New York : McGraw-Hill