Symbolic Interactionism in Police Murder Investigations - Essay Example

In this sense, the communicative acts serve as "dramaturgical realizations" exemplifying the cultural identities of the police. (Innes 69) To appreciate Innes' premise, it is imperative to identify the basic constructs of the symbolic interactionist theory. Interactionism is best understood in terms of the existence of an "I" and a "Me" in a social actor2. The "I" manages the impression of the self to produce an identity known as a "Me". When a social actor interacts with another, the initial "Me" generates another "Me" by "imposing on the other a definition of the self".

Consequently, the second actor's initial sense of "Me" is influenced by his interaction with the first actor. In this sense, each actor manages the image of the self being projected while at the same time imposing symbolic meanings on others. (Wilfrid Laurier University) Central to this paradigm is the social actor's concept of self. Hester and Eglin describe how the self is conceptualized - both as a process and as an object. As a process, the self is capable of communicating to itself from the standpoint of a "generalized other", producing situational and contextual responses to varying situations and environments.

Through "self-interaction", the social actor produces self-indications by defining the context of the situation and then judging the course of action or response appropriate to the defined situation. Meanwhile, self as an object pertains to a social actor's self-image, his understanding of who and what he is. The social actor judges himself from the perspective of a "generalized other" and thus determines his roles and functions. (Hester and Eglin 92)In exploring the symbolic constructions of homicide investigations, Innes utilizes this interactionist perspective by examining how police officers create and interpret meanings through various communicative acts.

Innes posits that the police officer as a social actor acts towards situations in terms of the meanings he interprets from them. These meanings are derived through social interaction and depend on a process of self interpretation. Innes sets this framework against the back drop of the "police occupational culture", which has been imposed by prevailing media and public perceptions about the nature of police work. In this context, the police officer, through his self-impressions combined with the labels imposed upon him by prevalent public views, sees himself as an agent of social order.

The police officer is socialized into an "occupational role", and thus "develops an occupational identity based on the role's demands, and contributes to the maintenance or modification of this character." (Vincent 2) This "occupational role" is evidenced by organizational communications, which in turn serve to construct and maintain a symbolic representation of the organization's roles and functions. (Innes 71)A major component of this "occupational culture" is the "moral ambiguity" of policing.

Interactionism asserts that