Who is credited with introducing the term symbolic interactionism?

• A. Herbert Blumer
• B. George Herbert Mead
• C. Charles Cooley
• D. William Isaac Thomas

Answer: (A)

Symbolic interactionism centers on how people create and interpret meaning through symbols in everyday interactions. The label for this perspective was introduced by Herbert Blumer, who in the mid-20th century formalized the approach and emphasized studying how individuals interpret symbols during social encounters. He built on the groundwork laid by George Herbert Mead, who explored how the self emerges through social interaction and the use of language and gestures, but Blumer coined the term and clarified the method and premises of the view.

In practice, this means looking at how a handshake, a smile, or a spoken word carries meaning that is not fixed but shaped by context, shared conventions, and ongoing interaction. While Charles Cooley’s looking-glass self and William Thomas’s ideas about social reality contributed foundational insights, the specific naming of symbolic interactionism belongs to Blumer.