A First Look At Communication Theory, 10e (Griffin)
Chapter 5 Symbolic Interactionism
1) ________ is defined as the tendency for our expectations to evoke responses that confirm
what we originally anticipated.
A) Looking-glass self
B) Generalized other
C) Self-fulfilling prophecy
D) Participant observation
2) Herbert Blumer stated three core principles of symbolic interactionism that deal with meaning,
language, and thinking. Identify a true statement about meaning.
A) It is pre-existent in a state of nature.
B) It is negotiated through the use of language.
C) It is developed through self-talk.
D) It is inherent in objects.
3) According to George Herbert Mead, the self is an ongoing process combining the “I” and the
“me.” Which of the following statements is true about the “I”?
A) It is organized in the self.
B) It is the driving force that fosters all that is novel.
C) It is predictable and well known.
D) It is the image of self seen when one takes the role of the other.
4) According to George Herbert Mead, the self is an ongoing process combining the “I” and the
“me.” Identify a true statement about the “me.”
A) It refers to the motivating factor that drives actions.
B) It is spontaneous and unpredictable.
C) It refers to the objective self.
D) It is akin to right-brain creativity.
5) George Herbert Mead advocated research through a form of ethnography in which researchers
systematically set out to share in the lives of the people they study; this is called:
A) participant observation.
B) survey research.
C) textual analysis.
D) experimentation.
6) According to George Herbert Mead, humans have a unique capacity to ________.
A) communicate with each other
B) be in conversation
C) interact with others
D) take the role of the other
7) The looking-glass self is defined as:
A) the mental image others have of us.
B) the mental image we introspectively think we have.
C) the mental self-image that results from taking the role of the other.
D) the mental self-image of the physical attributes that we observe.
8) For George Herbert Mead, the generalized other refers to:
A) a person’s general belief system.
B) the composite mental image a person has of his or her self based on societal expectations and
responses.
C) a particular target or person.
D) the self before the “me” develops.
9) Which of the following statements is true about the book The Presentation of Self in Everyday
Life, written by sociologist Erving Goffman, University of California, Berkeley?
A) In the book, he claimed that people are all involved in a constant negotiation with others to
publicly define their identities and the nature of the situation.
B) In the book, he warned that the impression of reality fostered by a performance is a delicate,
fragile thing that can be shattered by minor mishaps.
C) In the book, he described social interaction as a dramaturgical performance.
D) All of the answers are correct.
10) An inner dialogue used to test alternatives, rehearse actions, and anticipate reactions before
responding is called:
A) minding.
B) a looking-glass conversation.
C) participant observation.
D) an I/me interaction.
11) Which of the following statements is true about the European Jewish philosopher Emmanuel
Levinas?
A) He dismissed the idea that the self is socially constructed.
B) He used the term “ethical echo” to designate the responsibility he believed people have to take
care of each other.
C) He contended that the looking-glass self develops through the way “others respond to us.”
D) He rejected the idea that the identity of an individual’s “I” is formed by the way he or she
responds to others.
12) Which of the following criteria that are used to evaluate good interpretive theories does
symbolic interactionism fail to meet?
A) clarification of values
B) community of agreement
C) reform of society
D) understanding of people
13) The person who coined the term “symbolic interactionism” was:
A) George Herbert Mead.
B) Herbert Blumer.
C) Douglas Hofstadter.
D) Charles Cooley.
14) Keith believes that his thoughts, self-concept, and society are created through
communication. He most likely is a social constructionist.
15) George Herbert Mead, an early social constructionist, thought that the true test of any theory
is whether it is useful in solving complex social problems.
16) George Herbert Mead believed that symbolic naming is the basis for human society.
17) Most sociologists saw society as consisting of individual actors who make their own choices,
whereas Herbert Mead believed in society-by-previous-design rather than in society-in-the-
making.
18) There is no “me” at birth.
19) The “me” is viewed as an object—the image of self seen in the looking glass of other
people’s reactions.
20) George Herbert Mead used tightly controlled behavioral experiments and checklist surveys
to verify his theory.
21) A default assumption demonstrates how a belief in our language can limit our thinking.
22) Symbolic interactionists reject the idea that the self is a function of language.
23) Taking the role of the other is defined as the process of mentally imagining that you are
someone else who is viewing you.
24) Herbert Blumer suggests that ________ arises out of the social interaction that people have
with each other.
25) An inner dialogue used to test alternatives, rehearse actions, and anticipate reactions before
responding is called ________.
26) The ________ is the composite mental image a person has of his or her self based on societal
expectations and responses.
27) For Emmanuel Levinas, the identity of a person’s “I” is formed by ________.
28) Discuss the differences between “I” and “me.” Are they always different?
29) What is a self-fulfilling prophecy? Provide an example or two of this phenomenon.
30) In folklore and in fiction, there are stories of humans reared by animals (for example,
Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book) who are conceptualized as having a sense of self.
Could such a person exist? Explain your position.
31) Discuss the developmental process an individual goes through as he or she develops a self.
32) How are the forces of your “I” and your “me” balanced to allow you to develop as an
individual?
33) Symbolic interactionism was the creation of a philosopher and his students before the rise of
the modern communication curriculum. How could this old theory help you to become a better
communicator in the twenty-first century? Be specific.
34) Is symbolic interactionism an objective or interpretive theory? How does it measure up to the
standards of a good theory?
35) How would a symbolic interactionist evaluate Shannon and Weaver’s work? What feedback
would information theorists provide George Herbert Mead’s disciples?
36) How might an objective scholar seek to identify and measure the communication effects that
George Herbert Mead had identified?