Social interactionism theory in sociology

Sociological theory

This article is about the sociological perspective. For other uses, see interactionism (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Symbolic interactionism.

In micro-sociology, interactionism is a theoretical perspective that sees social behavior as an interactive product of the individual and the situation.^[1] In other words, it derives social processes (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) from social interaction,^[2] whereby subjectively held meanings are integral to explaining or understanding social behavior.^[3]

This perspective studies the ways in which individuals shape, and are shaped by, society through their interactions.

Interactionism thus argues that the individual is an active and conscious piece of the social-context system, rather than merely a passive object in their environment.^[4] It believes interactions to be guided by meanings that are attached to the self, to others w