1. Blumer’s three core premises of symbolic interactionism deal with meaning, lan–
guage, and thinking. According to Blumer, which comes first? Can you make a
case for an alternative sequence?
2. What do interactionists believe are the crucial differences between human
beings and animals? What would you add to or subtract from the list?
3. As Mead used the terms, are the looking-glass self, the objective self, a person’s
“me,” and the generalized other all referring to the same thing? Why or why
not?
4. Think of a time in your life when your self-concept changed in a significant
way. Do you think the shift occurred because others viewed you differently or
because you treated others differently? Could Mead and Levinas both be right?
