Which perspective views society as a sum of interactions among individuals and groups?

The symbolic interactionist perspective emphasizes the importance of everyday interactions and the meanings individuals attach to those interactions. This approach focuses on how individuals create and interpret symbols, such as language and gestures, during their social interactions. By examining these micro-level interactions, symbolic interactionism reveals how individuals shape society and are shaped by it simultaneously.

This perspective is particularly concerned with the nuances of personal experiences and the significance of social contexts in understanding human behavior. It posits that society is constructed through the ongoing process of social interactions, making it distinct from other theoretical frameworks that focus more on broad structures or systems. The emphasis on individual agency and the subjective interpretation of social cues underlines the importance of small-scale interactions in constructing social reality.

In contrast, other options such as macrolevel analysis focus on large-scale social processes and structures, the feminist perspective addresses systemic inequalities related to gender, and the functionalist perspective looks at how societal elements function together to maintain stability. While all these perspectives provide valuable insights, they do not center on interactions in the same way that symbolic interactionism does.