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Ordinarily an anniversary occasions the reification of an artificial period. In this case however, there is a certain juncture in the history of the point of view which makes of the past quarter-century something worthy of consideration for symbolic interactionism as well as for our celebration of the founding of the Midwest Sociological Society. The year 1937 lies virtually in the middle of a four-year period which saw the publication of Mind, Self, and Society, Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century, and The Philosophy of the Act. It would represent the greatest naiveté to suggest that thus the year 1937 represented the introduction of symbolic interactionism. We are all aware of the long development: from James, Baldwin, and Cooley to Thomas, Faris, Dewey, Blumer, and Young. Even the Tardean imitation and suggestion which underlay Ross's Social Psychology contributed a good deal ordinarily not credited to him in the development of interaction theory. Nor is it the fact that Mead represents the fullest development of the orientation that makes so significant the posthumous publication of his works (for which we may conveniently take 1937 as an anchoring point). Mead's ideas had been known for a very long time. He had taught University of Chicago students from 1893 to 1931. His notions were bruited about in classes and seminars wherever there were professors conducting them who had studied at the University of Chicago—not least in the great heartland included in the Mid-west of our Society. Some of Mead's students had published their versions of his ideas or quotations from some of his philosophical papers—Kimbali Young's Source Book in Social Psychology of a decade earlier contained a paper by Mead, and his Social Psychology bore the strong imprint of Meadian interactionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symbolic interaction theory as derived mainly from the work of George Herbert Mead views the self-concept as a structure of attitudes which arises in social experience and organizes the individual's perception of his social milieu. Recently, tests based upon this symbolic interaction orientation have been developed for the elicitation of self attitudes. One such test frequently used is the Twenty Statements Test (TST) constructed by Manford Kuhn and Thomas McPartland. The TST attempts to ascertain the specific statements respondents use to identify themselves to themselves. The applicability of the TST to problems of self theory is indicated by the rather wide use which has been made of the instrument. Investigations using the TST have focused upon the following: self-concept and social position; a self-concept and behavior; and the self-concept and attitudes toward other social objects. While TST results have been of substantive interest, little attention has been given to the methodological issues involved in the instrument and its use. For example, little is known concerning the validity and reliability of the test and its scoring procedures. If substantive assertions based upon TST results are to be considered as sound, judicious concern should be directed toward basic methodological issues. It is the purpose of this paper to consider empirically one methodological aspect of the TST. The focus is upon the test format itself. The question is posed: Do variations in the TST format produce variations in individuals' response patterns? Specifically, does the length of the test influence the number and the nature of statements made by respondents? This paper is directed toward answering this question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the controversy surrounding the term "reference group" in sociological research. The author attempts an exploration of the "idea of the other" in the symbolic interaction orientation as a context for the consideration of the "idea of the reference group." A summary on the role of the other in the symbolic interactionist orientation is presented. The historical background on the reference group concept as well the factors contributing to its persisting popularity is also given. The reference group concept states that an actor's view of himself is gained only through the image he imagines the other to have of him. Many sociologists share the same idea that meaning, thought, and the self arise alike in the relationships between the actor and his alters. The author concludes that there are serious discontinuities between the symbolic interaction orientation and the reference group concept.

This article comments on a manuscript appearing in the October 1970 issue of the social science journal "The Sociological Quarterly" regarding the field of social psychology. The author asserts that the said article contains some conflicting attitudes towards social science studies. Throughout the years, the field of sociology has branched into different disciplines, namely the phenomenological revolt, the development of the symbolic interactionist school and the discipline of ethnomethodology. Sociologists generally do not consider phenomenology as a science but only as a starting point. Phenomenology was developed as a reaction to and in part a rejection of natural social science and technology. According to the manuscript's author, Professor Irwin Deutscher, social psychological theory can provide a view of human nature, a view that people can be, that is liberating.