Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Social Psychology and Sociology

"The primary strength of this text is that it is written by established scholars who are also gifted teachers. Their pedagogical gifts show up in the writing of the text from cover to cover. The voice that they develop is one of a mentor writing to an apprentice. Their approach invariably encourages students to reflect critically on everyday life. The text is designed with how the classroom and how courses really work: it is flexible, thoughtful, and packed full of 'future directions, ' questions, and even activity ideas that allow individual teachers to modify the text to their and their students' needs."--Karla Erickson, Grinnell College "It is nothing short of astounding that Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality is so thorough a review of interactionism. I am amazed at how easily the authors include such volumes of information--yet the material is never overwhelming. . . . This text is an excellent resource for sociologically oriented social psychology courses. It deftly and thoroughly pairs accessible discussion of interactionist theories, methods, and concepts with contemporary case-study applications. That approach alone is praiseworthy, but combined with genuine prose and material that students can relate to, Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality deserves more than praise. It deserves to be required reading."--Bryce Merrill, University of Colorado, Boulder "Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality is an essential resource for helping students gain an in-depth understanding of the historical development, guiding propositions, and contemporary vibrancy of the perspective of symbolic interactionism."--John Baugher, University of Southern Maine "The primary strength of this text is that it is written by established scholars who are also gifted teachers. Their pedagogical gifts show up in the writing of the text from cover to cover. The voice that they develop is one of a mentor writing to an apprentice. Their approach invariably encourages students to reflect critically on everyday life. The text is designed with how the classroom and how courses really work: it is flexible, thoughtful, and packed full of 'future directions, ' questions, and even activity ideas that allow individual teachers to modify the text to their and their students' needs."--Karla Erickson, Grinnell College "It is nothing short of astounding that Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality is so thorough a review of interactionism. I am amazed at how easily the authors include such volumes of information--yet the material is never overwhelming. . . . This text is an excellent resource for sociologically oriented social psychology courses. It deftly and thoroughly pairs accessible discussion of interactionist theories, methods, and concepts with contemporary case-study applications. That approach alone is praiseworthy, but combined with genuine prose and material that students can relate to, Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality deserves more than praise. It deserves to be required reading."--Bryce Merrill, University of Colorado, Boulder "Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality is an essential resource for helping students gain an in-depth understanding of the historical development, guiding propositions, and contemporary vibrancy of the perspective of symbolic interactionism."--John Baugher, University of Southern Maine