Paper Summary:

The writer interviews a former neighbour to analyze the effect of work on the spousal relationship as well as on childcare issues. The paper discusses how work has symbolic meaning on a personal and social level, that affects an individual's self-concept. The paper also looks at the impact of family on the definition of an individual. The paper explains the theory of symbolic interactionism and illustrates how it addresses the concept of mother and father as well as typical gender roles.

From the Paper:

"The Symbolic Interactionist perspective is microbiological and deals with small-scale patterns of social interaction. The focus of this perspective is in face-to-face interaction and how people use symbols to which they attach meaning, which in turn creates a social life. Symbolic interactionists analyze how symbols define relationships, how symbols help us coordinate our actions, and the self as a symbol, which consists of the ideas, we have of who we are. However, the self as a symbol changes because as we interact with others, we constantly adjust our views of the self based on how we interpret the reactions of others (Henslin and Nelson: 20-21). Therefore, Symbolic Interactionists analyze how our behaviours depend on how we define others, and ourselves, which relates to the interviewee's childhood family experiences as well as the relationship between father and son in this paper."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Clark, Candace and Howard Robboy. Social Interaction: Readings in Sociology (Fourth Edition). New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1992.
• Henslin, James M. and Adie Nelson. Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. Toronto: Allyn and Bacon Canada, 1996.
• Sociology 2060 Course Kit

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