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Unpublished Paper
Integrating the Generalized Other into Theories of Difference: Balancing and Bridging in Symbolic Interactionism
(2021)
Abstract
Symbolic interactionist theories need to use the generalized in order to explain difference, but this essential term has been neglected. A "sense of group position" has been used to focus on difference, but this term is too structural. To bridge this gap in symbolic interactionism, we show that a generalized other is socially constructed through framing; this process of social construction involves internalization or externalization; multiple generalized others routinely exist and they create multiple selves; generalized others may be positive or negative; generalized others are ranked in terms of importance to the self; and difference springs from these different rankings.
Keywords
- generalized other,
- theories of difference,
- symbolic interactionism,
- framing
Disciplines
Publication Date
2021
Citation Information
Thomas Janoski, Chrystal Grey and Darina Lepadatu. "Integrating the Generalized Other into Theories of Difference: Balancing and Bridging in Symbolic Interactionism" (2021) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/thomasjanoski/68/