The Thomas theorem is a theory of sociology which was formulated in 1928 by
William Isaac Thomas and
Dorothy Swaine Thomas
Dorothy Swaine Thomas (October 24, 1899 – May 1, 1977) was an American sociologist and economist. She was the 42nd President of the American Sociological Association, the first woman in that role.
Life and career
Thomas was born on October 24 ...
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In other words, the interpretation of a situation causes the action. This interpretation is not objective. Actions are affected by subjective perceptions of situations. Whether there even is an objectively correct interpretation is not important for the purposes of helping guide individuals' behavior.
The Thomas theorem is not a
theorem in the mathematical sense.
Definition of the situation
In 1923, W. I. Thomas stated more precisely that any definition of a situation would influence the present. In addition, after a series of definitions in which an individual is involved, such a definition would also "gradually
nfluencea whole life-policy and the personality of the individual himself". Consequently, Thomas stressed societal problems such as intimacy, family, or education as fundamental to the role of the situation when detecting a social world "in which subjective impressions can be projected on to life and thereby become real to projectors".
The definition of the situation is a fundamental concept in
symbolic interactionism
Symbolic interactionism is a sociological theory that develops from practical considerations and alludes to particular effects of communication and interaction in people to make images and normal implications, for deduction and correspondence ...
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[Thomas, William. "The Definition of the Situation," in ''Self, Symbols, and Society: Classic Readings in Social Psychology,'' Nathan Rousseau (ed), 2002 (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield), pp. 103–115. ] It involves a proposal upon the characteristics of a social situation (e.g. norms, values, authority, participants' roles), and seeks agreement from others in a way that can facilitate social cohesion and social action. Conflicts often involve disagreements over definitions of the situation in question. This definition may thus become an area contested between different stakeholders (or by an ego's sense of self-identity).
A definition of the situation is related to the idea of "
framing" a situation. The construction, presentation, and maintenance of frames of interaction (i.e., social context and expectations), and identities (
self-identities or group identities), are fundamental aspects of micro-level social interaction.
See also
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Impression management
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Linguistic relativity
The hypothesis of linguistic relativity, also known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis , the Whorf hypothesis, or Whorfianism, is a principle suggesting that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition, and thus people ...
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Placebo
A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
In general ...
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Pluralistic ignorance
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Self-fulfilling prophecy
A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that comes true at least in part as a result of a person's or group of persons' belief or expectation that said prediction would come true. This suggests that people's beliefs influence their actions. T ...
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Sociology of knowledge
The sociology of knowledge is the study of the relationship between human thought and the social context within which it arises, and the effects that prevailing ideas have on societies. It is not a specialized area of sociology. Instead, it deal ...
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Tinkerbell effect The Tinkerbell effect is an American English expression describing things that are thought to exist only because people believe in them. The effect is named after Tinker Bell, the fairy in the play '' Peter Pan'', who is revived from near death by ...
References
Further reading
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*{{cite journal , jstor=27698742 , title=Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due: Dorothy Swaine Thomas and the 'Thomas Theorem' , journal=The American Sociologist , volume=26 , issue=4 , pages=9–28 , year=1995 , last1=Smith , first1=R. S. , doi=10.1007/bf02692352
Sociological theories
Cognitive biases