Comprehensive Question (Communication Theory) Essay

Comprehensive Question (Communication Theory) - Essay Example e present text looks at the accepted standards of a good theory such as validity, theological scope, franchise and heuristic value to value the symbolic interactionism theory. It also dwells on criticisms leveled against the theory. The theories contemporary application has been discussed in detail. The text also entails Em Griffin’s take on the communication theory and its relevance. He pays tribute to Herbart Mead who was a leading theorist. People act towards things based on the meanings they attach to those things. Different things have different meanings to different people. People derive meanings from social interactions and are modified through various interpretations. Social interaction is the process by which people act and react to other people in their environment. In this perspective, social interaction encompasses the actions of people towards others and the responses they get in return. Symbolic Interactionism theory meets most of the accepted standards of a good theory despite its criticisms. Em Griffin posited that most communication theorists used Mead’s intellectual guidelines to develop their theories (Griffin, 2011). George Herbert Mead was a pioneer in the development of the communication theory. Whereas the Symbolic Interactionism theory face criticisms across time and place, it is critical to evaluate it based on standards and show its applications in the contemporary world. Symbolic Interactionism studies how people interact with each other owing to their adaptive social behavior. In this perspective, social structures are best understood in relation to basic level of individual interactions. Charles Horton Cooley in collaboration with George Herbert Mead came up with the theory (Turner, 2006). According to this theory, the meaning and worth of objects, occurrences and behaviors come from people’s interpretations, which vary from one group to another. Cooley argues that people adapt the way they think about themselves based on how