In these days the job situation in Germany is seriously bad. More than 4.3 million people are out of work, no matter what level of education they have. The situation in Eastern Germany, where there is an unemployment rate of up to nearly 20% is even worse, particularly for young people under 20, of whom 9.1% are unemployed (cf. Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland). Although this is mainly a political and economical issue, the social importance of unemployment must not be neglected as realities of jobless people can be drastically altered , especially for those, whose life career was dominated by their work, no matter if they were in high or low positions. As Symbolic Interactionism is in the first place a theory about the everlasting process of social interaction between human beings, the unemployed individual in context to society seems to be worth discussing in this theoretical perspective. So, this essay deals with the unemployed individual in society and their perception of reality during the phase of unemployment related to the main ideas of Symbolic Interactionism found in the book The Social Construction Of Reality. A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge by P. Berger and Th. Luckmann first published in 1966. This book serves as aconception of the sociological theory of Symbolic Interactionism and its theoretical development. The first chapter summarizes the major points of Symbolic Interactionism and chapter two deals with the idea of the “Other” within this theoretical approach. The third chapter examines the unemployed individual relating to their objective and subjective reality. Finally, chapter four presents the consequences of reality perception by unemployed individuals through social interactions and their relevance to society.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Symbolic Interactionism – A brief overview
2. The “Other”
3. The unemployed individual
3.1 The unemployed in objective reality
3.2 The unemployed in subjective reality
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This essay explores the social experience of unemployment in Germany through the lens of Symbolic Interactionism. It aims to analyze how individuals who lose their jobs perceive their reality and how they are socially constructed as the "Other" within a society that prioritizes work as a central identity marker.
- Application of Symbolic Interactionism to the phenomenon of unemployment.
- Distinction between objective reality (institutionalized work) and subjective reality (individual perception).
- The role of "significant others" in the process of identity formation during unemployment.
- The impact of stigmatization and "social biographical accidents" on the unemployed individual.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The unemployed in objective reality
According to Berger and Luckmann (1991, 69ff) objective reality is a product of men or, in other words, a social product of interaction. Habitualization is inherent in human activity as soon as it comes to routine. Further this leads to institutionalization of actions. Since these actions are then shared ones they serve as social control of human conduct. So, institutions are the product of historically established patterns of habitualized actions and the institutionalized world is experienced as an objective reality. The duty to work can be seen as such an institution of society because it is given from one generation to another without loosing its importance and meaning. One can say, that it controlls the life of everybody from the beginning.
Children are confronted with that in their early childhood, or to put it into the words of Berger and Luckmann (1991, 150ff) in their “primary socialization”, because they see their parents or at least one of them earning money to make their living through work. Further in their lives, in their socalled “secondary socialization”, they become aware of that education sooner or later leads into participation in the labour market. Being out of work therefore does not fit into the institutional context of reality as it was perceived during life.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the context of the unemployment situation in Germany and introduces the application of Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical framework.
1. Symbolic Interactionism – A brief overview: Summarizes the foundational concepts of social interaction, identity creation, and the dialectical process of internalization and externalization.
2. The “Other”: Examines the theoretical evolution of the "Other" concept, emphasizing its socially constructed nature and role as a mediator between the individual and society.
3. The unemployed individual: Investigates the reality of the unemployed as a social phenomenon, analyzing the discrepancy between internalized institutional expectations and the lived experience of job loss.
3.1 The unemployed in objective reality: Discusses how work functions as an institutionalized reality and how deviation from this norm results in being labeled as the "Other".
3.2 The unemployed in subjective reality: Analyzes the psychological and social rupture in routine and identity maintenance when an individual loses their occupational role.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings and discusses the potential for resocialization through the redefinition of work and social support.
Keywords
Symbolic Interactionism, Unemployment, Objective Reality, Subjective Reality, Identity, Social Construction, Institutionalization, Stigmatization, The Other, Socialization, Germany, Labour Market, Self, Looking Glass Self, Resocialization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The essay focuses on understanding the social experience of unemployment in Germany by analyzing it through the perspective of Symbolic Interactionism.
What are the central themes of the analysis?
The central themes include the construction of social identity, the institutionalization of work, the stigmatization of the unemployed, and the tension between objective societal expectations and individual subjective realities.
What is the main research objective?
The goal is to explain how unemployed individuals perceive their reality and why they are categorized as the "Other" in a society where employment is considered a defining life factor.
Which theoretical framework is applied?
The work utilizes Symbolic Interactionism, drawing significantly on the theories of Berger and Luckmann, as well as Mead and Goffman.
What is covered in the main body of the essay?
The main body examines the concept of the "Other," the nature of objective versus subjective reality in the context of job loss, and the impact of these factors on individual identity formation.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include Symbolic Interactionism, Social Construction, Identity, Objective/Subjective Reality, and Stigmatization.
How does the loss of a job affect the "objective reality" of an individual?
Because work is institutionalized as a primary duty, losing a job causes an individual to no longer "represent the institutional order," leading to a departure from the reality shared by the rest of the working society.
What role do "significant others" play for the unemployed?
They act as mirrors and mediators, reinforcing or challenging the unemployed individual's perception of themselves and their new reality during the process of identity re-evaluation.
- Citation du texte
- Tamara Oberhauser (Auteur), 2003, The Other from a Symbolic Interactionsist Perspective - The Unemployed, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/35291
