Family Theories

    At the start of the week we talked about the different family relationships and theories. Naturally I started thinking about my own family and the relationship I have with them. An interesting thing we talked about this last week in class was symbolic interaction theory. This is a very basic thing to understand but the discussion that occurred in class to was so interesting to me. Symbolic interaction theory is the idea that we show symbols, or do small things, that show others how we are feeling. These symbols are often different based on the situation. An example we used in class was a simple hug. When it comes from a friend or a family member, you feel loved and cared for. But when it comes from a random person, it is often weird and a little creepy. I think everyone has had an experience like this where the relationship with a person and the action didn't quite match. These small interactions sometimes change the notion we have of a person whether that is intentional or not. 

    Another one of the theories that we discussed was exchange theory. This is when you get something, whether its time, money, gift, or something else, and you expect something in return. The first thing I think of when I heard this was birthdays and any gift-giving days. When someone gives me a gift, I immediately feel the need to give them something back. This is so much so that you think about how much effort did they put into your gift, how much time or money should I put into my gift? BECAUSE we have this theory that when you get something you need to return the favor, we have. Another example I think of when I hear exchange theory is my mom. I love my mom but she is an awful gift giver. I only say that because we all know it and all have acknowledged it. She is a very thoughtful person but when it comes to a gift-giving on holidays like Christmas or birthdays, she doesn't know what to get you. I think this is because of this theory. There is an expectation that you must give something back. Although she isn't very good on birthdays, my mom is also the one who will come home on a random day with picture of a sunset just because it made her think of you. When there is no pressure of the 'exchange', she is very good at gift giving.