Symbolic Interactionism and Muslim Behaviour: Part One

I’ve been wondering for a while about the motives behind our behaviour. Why do some of us smoke? Why do others jump off buildings to their death? Why do we give in charity? I came across a sociological theory developed by university professors in America in the 20^th century called Symbolic Interactionism. I think it explains in some part how we come to act the way we do.

The term “symbolic interactionism” was originally coined by Herbert Blumer. It operates on

three fundamental assumptions: 1) that human beings act towards things based on the

meanings the things have for them; 2) that these meanings are derived from social interaction; and 3) that such meanings are created and modified through an interpretative social process (Blumer 1969:2).

Simply put, symbolic interactionists view behaviour as motivated by the meaning it carries for the doer of the behaviour. An advantage of this theory is that it can explain how the same action can mean different things when performed by different people. Take prayer as an example. Praying can be an example of obedience to God where a person prays solely out of the intention to obey God’s command to pray. On the other hand, another person may pray with a conscious or semi-conscious belief that others will think good of them; here, prayer denotes showing off.

In both situations, the individual acted after an interaction in their mind. In the first instance, the person reacted to a command from an “Other” (i.e. God). In the second instance, the person reacted to the praise of an “other” (i.e. a fellow worshipper in the mosque). Thus, Symbolic Interactionism says that both interactions with a physical or abstract other influenced the behaviour of an individual. While on one level (i.e. God) the meaning of prayer is unchanging, on another level (i.e. that of people), the meaning the actions of a prayer take on depend on the intention behind them.

This analysis of prayer through symbolic interactionism shows that the theory supports the Prophetic narration “actions are but by intentions” (ref). Amazing that a sociological theory that academics came up around fifty years ago, lends credence to what the Prophet Muhammad said some 1430 years back.

Are there any other instances of Muslim behaviour that Symbolic Interactionism may shed light on? Don’t hesitate to share in the comments.