Identity and Reality
The Thomas Theorem
What is the “real” reality? Is buying a pet expensive food the right thing to do or a waste of
money? According to sociologist
W. I. Thomas
, “if a person perceives a situation as real, it is
real in its consequences.” This statement is also known as the
Thomas Theorem.
In other words,
our behavior depends not on the objective reality of a situation but on our subjective
interpretation of reality. The consequences and results of behavior make it real. For example, a
teenager who is defined as deviant might begin to act deviant. He makes his label real.
People perceive reality differently, and when they decide how they are going to view a person or
a situation, they act accordingly. Since we all perceive reality differently, our reactions differ.
Our definition of a situation as good or bad, to be embraced or avoided, dictates our response to
it.
Ethnomethodology
Ethnomethodology,
as founded by sociologist
Harold Garfinkel,
is a theory that looks at how
we make sense of everyday situations. Though we may view a situation differently from those
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- Fall '10
- Bernhardt
- Psychology, Reality
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