The psychological perspective defines a given situation as the knowledge structure or schema people hold in their heads as such, situations are firm, stable entities or activities with fixed labels, such as dining room, party, baseball game conversation. Actors determine the situation by what they perceive. Perception of the situation then influences behavior and strategic choices made by actors. For example, someone may choose to defer to others when in a courtroom and dominate others when playing basketball.
The interactional perspective, on the other hand, regards situation as largely emergent. Although perceptions are important, the focus is on behavior.
In this light, perceptions constrain but do not define situations.
According to the interactional perspective, situations are constituted and sustained by actors through the behavior they enact. Situation is seen as more fluid than fixed.
Although people certainly create the situations they perceive, what they perceive is also influenced by what they do. For instance, imagine a common sales encounter in a retail outlet.
The service provider approaches the shopper and offers the standard opening: ?
Hello, may I help you?? As language is a creatively ambiguous code, the customer looks up and says in a highly suggestive tone: ?
you sure can help me. What are you doing Friday night?? What situation are these people sharing?
Are they involved in what is typically called a customer-service encounter?
Or is the situation more one of prospective dating?
The interactional view suggests that it depends on how the conversation continues to unfold.
The behavior, not the mental category, will define the situation and just as important, that definition will change when other behaviors are introduced.
Your thoughts??