Using a unique step-by-step, integrated approach, "Symbolic Interactionism: An Introduction, an Interpretation "organizes the basic concepts of symbolic interactionism in such a way that the reader clearly understands the concepts and is able to "apply" them to their own lives. It emphasizes the "active "side of human beings--humans as definers and users of the environment, humans as problem solvers and in control of their own actions--and it shows students how society makes "us," and how we in turn "shape" society. (Ingram)