Symbolic interactionism is a sociological perspective which examines how individuals and groups interact, focusing on the creation of personal identity through interaction with others. Of particular interest is the relationship between individual action and group pressures.
This perspective examines the idea that subjective meanings are socially constructed, and that these subjective meanings interrelate with objective actions.
Noted symbolic interactionists are Herbert Blumer and Erving Goffman. George Herbert Mead is seen as a predecessor to symbolic interactionism.
See also: Dramaturgy, Social Psychology