Identity Through Interactionism
The identity of a person can be formed in many ways and through many interactions. These interactions can prove to be critical in how a person grows in society. In Judith Howard’s article “Social Psychology of Identities,” she examines the different ways a person can form his/her identity while also building relationships with other people in the process. One of the forms that Howard discusses in her article is “Interactionism.” Howard describes interactionism as “The premise of symbolic interaction is that people attach symbolic meaning to objects, behaviors, themselves, and other people, and they develop and transmit these meanings through interaction.” Based off of the three videos that I chose, they are all connected through the use of interaction with others and forming a bond, either with the person or the activity taking place. With all three movies being linked to interactionism, the people in the movie all have their own different ways of showing interaction among themselves.
The first home movie that I view through the lense of interactionism is “Unidentified New Orleans Family.” Regarding the content that is in the video, one of the main activities that I noticed taking place was the baseball game. The young boys on the baseball team were all participating and interacting with each other to accomplish a goal on the field, which was to win the game. Their ability to do this shows that part of the identity that they are constructing has to deal with professionalism, based off of the footage that is given to the viewer. The boys further solidify how professional they are because of the family members that are there to see them. Thus, showing that helps to broadcast how mature they are at a young age to the crowd, a trait that is greatly needed in the sports industry. With all of this, it is very clear that the audience in this home movie are those who enjoy the game of baseball or sports in general. This also relates to why this movie is in the “Private Lives, Public Spaces” exhibit. In this case, the “private lives” can range from the parents coming to see their children playing baseball, the coaches shouting instructions to their players, and/or the boys playing baseball, all while in a public space. The next home movie also shows signs of interactionism, with a similar goal at hand.
The second home movie, “American,” by Andy Rees is a film that shows interactionism based off of fashion and dancing. In this example, we can apply Howards insight on interactionism by focusing on the group of dancers that is shown in the middle of the home movie. Similar to the baseball example, all the dancers have to work together in order to have a successful show. However, in addition to professionalism, those dancers are passionate in the activity that they’re doing at hand, and that is shown through their facial expressions. Those people are constructing their identity through expression of art in the form of dance. With the interaction between the dancers, it only strengthens the identity that each dancer is trying to create within themselves. The dancers want to be seen as passionate about what they love because they are performing in front of a crowd that has some type of interest in art, and the various forms it can be expressed in. In reference to why this home movie is in this exhibit, it can be assumed that dancing is a part of the private lives for the performers and that they do this in a public space for people to see those talents displayed. The last home movie is surrounded by the thought of interactionism, but unlike the other two there is no clear objective at hand.
The “Hunting Home Movie” by an unidentified filmmaker stands out the most out of the three movies because of the way interactionism is used here. The home movie displays a family hunting as a form of bonding between them. Part of interactionism is bringing meaning into the task at hand. That meaning in this example revolves around the concept of love and is showing the viewer that the people in the film are constructing their identities through interaction with family members. For them, that meaning is solidified through family bonding activities such as hunting and enjoying time in nature. The people in this home movie expect to be seen as a family who is interested in peace and quiet away from noisy distractions, which was shown mostly throughout the whole film. Regarding this film, it is very cohesive with the phrase “Private Lives, Public Spaces” because it demonstrates how the family is enjoying their private lives by hunting while taking advantage of a public space in the woods.
Throughout all these home movies, interactionism has played a huge role. In the first movie, we see identity being formed through professionalism and interacting with others for a common goal in the baseball boys. Interactionism is shown in the second film with the dancers creating their identities through their passion for dancing while being in a space where others share that same love. Lastly, with no real motive in mind, the sole interaction with one's family can aid in forming an identity and bringing more meaning to any task that’s taking place, which in this case is hunting. Overall, being able to form one's identity can come from multiple experiences and activities. However, interacting in a group can assist in cementing who that person can become in the future.
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