Part 1: Analyzing the “Course Introduction”
The type of “self-descriptor” most predominant in my introduction was the global view of self, which included my contribution to society. The introduction lacked the other types of “self-descriptors,” namely, physical, social, and attributive. The choice to talk about my current service in the military and the qualities such as organization and planning that make me good at my job was made deliberately to portray my industrious and self-motivated side. I wanted to demonstrate to my colleagues and the instructor that I meant business and was in control of what was happening in my life. I tailored my introduction to the particular context and readers by making analogies to the business world by equating my skills and work in the military to project management in typical organizational setups. The idea was to foster understanding and allow my colleagues to relate to what I do in the military. How I described myself is synonymous with the Chicago School of Thought’s prepositions on symbolic interactionism. The school of thought developed by Herbert Blumer supports the idea that individuals insist on being active contributors in developing their social world and reject the view that portrays them as mere pawns of social structures (Quist-Adade, 2019). Therefore, by describing my role as a project manager in the military and taking courses from the university to get my Business Administration degree, I was portraying the idea that I am in charge of my social world and the primary driver of success.
Part 2: New Introduction for a Different Audience
New Introduction for a Dating Website
Hello,
My name is [student’s name]. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall with silky black hair and deep blue eyes like the ocean. I pride myself in my cross-fit gym exercises, which I enjoy every evening, and I love cooking. I prefer face-to-face, deeply personal conversations to phone calls and messages, and I am a homemaker. I am an active-duty member of the United States Military, but I am also pursuing my degree in business administration from UMGC. I am looking for long-term relationships with much fun.
Cheer!
Analysis
The Chicago school of thought reverberates well with my personality and describes what I have done in the past. This school of thought’s main propositions are that humans are spontaneous and unpredictable and are active creators of the world to which they respond (Quist-Adade, 2019). The ability to actively participate in my family, community, and nation is a crucial symbol I always use to describe myself. Take the new introduction as an example. The choice of physical, attributive, and global self-descriptors was deliberate. I tailored the message to the context and reader by highlighting my best qualities to attract matches for potential relationships. The choice of the descriptors was influenced by what I thought the other group members would like to know about me to determine our compatibility. Specifically, the idea of being a homemaker was used alongside my military background to portray my strong and sweet sides. Overall, I wanted the other group members to appreciate my good qualities and know that I am self-driven but fun at the same time.
Part 3: Theory and Reflection
Lastly, the theory of self that best relates to the development of my sociological self is George Herbert Mead’s theory of role-taking/generalized other theory. The theory suggests that humans develop self-images through connections with others (Quist-Adade, 2019). This statement implies that one’s societal experiences help build one’s self-awareness and self-image, and I could not agree less. This theory is likely helpful for understanding my social self because it outlines how I learned about a generous heart and self-giving attributes. The theory explains that my interactions with others increased my awareness of these qualities, which is true because these are personal attributes that I learned about myself from my peer’s compliments. Without peer-to-peer interactions, they would have remained subconscious and not among the active attributes I now use to describe my personality.
Reference
Quist-Adade, C. (2019). Chapter 2: Symbolic interactionism: A brief introduction. In Symbolic Interactionism: The basics. Vernon Press. pp. 17-48.
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