From the way I see it... Symbolic Interaction Theory.
Hello everyone! In my Family relations class I learned so many great theories and concepts!… We learned about Symbolic interaction theory, Exchange Theory and about Family System Theory. All these topics were so worthwhile to learn about and I encourage y’all to check out my classmates' blogs, because they for sure will share more about these topics; however, in my post I’d like to talk about what piqued my interest most, Symbolic interaction theory.
Symbolic interaction theory, First of all: Please bear with me as I try to explain *to the best of my best understanding* this concept :). (And as a reminder, I’m far from a professional on the studies of Marriage and Family Relationships, so I encourage you to comment your thoughts and opinions even/ especially if we don’t see eye to eye :D ). My understanding, thus far, is that from birth we learn from our experiences. As humans, the way we perceive situations shape the way we think and act. For example, Here's an elementary example: “If you touch fire you get burned”. This specific example is based on honest truth, an unchanging universal truth. However; sometimes the things we believe are not always based on cold hard facts, often they are based on biased perspectives and viewpoints. For example: If a little girl had a traumatic scratching and clawing experience petting a cat, she might adopt the belief that cats are vicious monsters. The problem with the latter example is that we as humans are not perfect, we all grow from emotional/ mental/ physical/ and spiritual adolescence to maturity. Yes, we gain wisdom as we live life, but we are far from perfect. You might be thinking “oh but these experiences, beliefs, and opinions are what make us different from each other, it's what make us unique”. And you are totally correct! What kind of world would we live in where everyone thought and acted the same? Boring, ZZZzz. So why is it that these personal beliefs can potentially be “problematic”?
To explain the Symbolic interaction theory further and why there might be some complications, I would like to share some thoughts from Hyrum W. Smith. Hyrum W. Smith is a motivational speaker and author of 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management and What Matters Most. His thoughts I’d like to share come from his speech called “Self-worth” (I will post the links below if you’d like to investigate further.) He describes something he calls a “belief window”. The “belief window” and the “Symbolic interaction theory” are, in fact, those personal experiences and perceptions that influence our behavior. So back to the question, “Why can our belief windows be problematic? Isn’t our “belief window” our opinions, who we are? So to reiterate: we aren’t perfect and sometimes our opinions and beliefs get us in trouble and lead us between a rock and a hard spot. A good gauge to test whether our “belief window” is correct/ beneficial to us or not is to examine the results. Results take time though, for example: Drinking soda delivers instant joy and gratification, but we know from grade school that if you soak a bone in soda pop too long it weakens it. Sometimes correcting our belief window involves hardships and strife, other times we can learn by watching examples of others. Hyrum W. Smith continues, “Now what I’m asking you to consider, brothers and sisters, is this: are you mature enough, humble enough, to submit yourself before God, and say “Father in Heaven, I’d like to know if the principles on my belief window are all correct. And if they’re not, do I have what it takes to identify the incorrect ones and replace them with right ones? The most powerful statement I believe, Joseph Smith made when he was alive was when he made this statement: “teach them correct principles, and they will govern themselves.”
So what does this have to do with Family and Marriage therapy?? A family is a crazy crazy thing, there is a blizzard of diverse opinions and beliefs. As a result, often as families we are on the same page, we are in sync; contrary, sometimes we are at each other's throats because we can’t come to the same conclusion. What we need to do in these moments is remember the Symbolic interaction theory and belief window, remember we all grew up with our own set of beliefs and reflect *together* how we are feeling and reacting. Remember the story of the two people looking at the number on the ground? One saw a “6” one saw a “9”. We don’t always need to be right, but as a family we do need to be humble and understanding of each other.
Symbolic interaction theory, First of all: Please bear with me as I try to explain *to the best of my best understanding* this concept :). (And as a reminder, I’m far from a professional on the studies of Marriage and Family Relationships, so I encourage you to comment your thoughts and opinions even/ especially if we don’t see eye to eye :D ). My understanding, thus far, is that from birth we learn from our experiences. As humans, the way we perceive situations shape the way we think and act. For example, Here's an elementary example: “If you touch fire you get burned”. This specific example is based on honest truth, an unchanging universal truth. However; sometimes the things we believe are not always based on cold hard facts, often they are based on biased perspectives and viewpoints. For example: If a little girl had a traumatic scratching and clawing experience petting a cat, she might adopt the belief that cats are vicious monsters. The problem with the latter example is that we as humans are not perfect, we all grow from emotional/ mental/ physical/ and spiritual adolescence to maturity. Yes, we gain wisdom as we live life, but we are far from perfect. You might be thinking “oh but these experiences, beliefs, and opinions are what make us different from each other, it's what make us unique”. And you are totally correct! What kind of world would we live in where everyone thought and acted the same? Boring, ZZZzz. So why is it that these personal beliefs can potentially be “problematic”?
To explain the Symbolic interaction theory further and why there might be some complications, I would like to share some thoughts from Hyrum W. Smith. Hyrum W. Smith is a motivational speaker and author of 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management and What Matters Most. His thoughts I’d like to share come from his speech called “Self-worth” (I will post the links below if you’d like to investigate further.) He describes something he calls a “belief window”. The “belief window” and the “Symbolic interaction theory” are, in fact, those personal experiences and perceptions that influence our behavior. So back to the question, “Why can our belief windows be problematic? Isn’t our “belief window” our opinions, who we are? So to reiterate: we aren’t perfect and sometimes our opinions and beliefs get us in trouble and lead us between a rock and a hard spot. A good gauge to test whether our “belief window” is correct/ beneficial to us or not is to examine the results. Results take time though, for example: Drinking soda delivers instant joy and gratification, but we know from grade school that if you soak a bone in soda pop too long it weakens it. Sometimes correcting our belief window involves hardships and strife, other times we can learn by watching examples of others. Hyrum W. Smith continues, “Now what I’m asking you to consider, brothers and sisters, is this: are you mature enough, humble enough, to submit yourself before God, and say “Father in Heaven, I’d like to know if the principles on my belief window are all correct. And if they’re not, do I have what it takes to identify the incorrect ones and replace them with right ones? The most powerful statement I believe, Joseph Smith made when he was alive was when he made this statement: “teach them correct principles, and they will govern themselves.”
So what does this have to do with Family and Marriage therapy?? A family is a crazy crazy thing, there is a blizzard of diverse opinions and beliefs. As a result, often as families we are on the same page, we are in sync; contrary, sometimes we are at each other's throats because we can’t come to the same conclusion. What we need to do in these moments is remember the Symbolic interaction theory and belief window, remember we all grew up with our own set of beliefs and reflect *together* how we are feeling and reacting. Remember the story of the two people looking at the number on the ground? One saw a “6” one saw a “9”. We don’t always need to be right, but as a family we do need to be humble and understanding of each other.
https://blog.jacobhouseholder.com/self-worth-the-belief-window-by-hyrum-smith-transcribed/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YDPqfAHm-Y
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