Definition of the Situation
Authors: Bakker J. I. (Hans) 
Published: September 2017

The term “definition of the situation” has come to signify the “Thomas theorem,” the idea expressed by W. I. Thomas as follows: “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences” (Thomas & Thomas 1928: 571–2). That is, when the phrase is used, it usually carries with it the connotation of the whole theorem. However, the phrase “definition of the situation” predates Thomas's famous theorem. The more general conceptualization seems to be closely related to the concept of norms and culture. The interpretation of collective norms is important for all social action. It is only in certain situations where the agent chooses to redefine the norms. Park and Burgess (1921: 763–9) cite a Carnegie study (1919) where the term is used to discuss the topic of assimilation to American society, especially in terms of “Americanization”: “common participation in common activities implies a common ‘definition of the situation.’ In fact, every single act, and eventually all moral life, is dependent upon the definition of the situation. A definition of the situation precedes and limits any possible action, and a redefinition of the situation changes the character of the action.” Clearly the theorem, as it is often interpreted, applies more to the “redefinition” of a situation than to the norms defined by the collectivity. There is confusion concerning the history of the idea. Park worked with Thomas on the Americanization Studies series sponsored by Carnegie, but Thomas's name did not appear as the lead author of the book they wrote with Herbert Miller until 30 years later (Thomas et al. 1951 [1921]). Hence, the first clear and contemporaneously recognized use by Thomas of the phrase can be said to be chapter 2 of
The Unadjusted Girl
(Thomas 1923: 41–69): “Preliminary to any self‐determined act of behavior there is always a stage of examination and deliberation which we may call the
definition of the situation
. And actually not only concrete acts are dependent on the definition of the situation, but gradually a whole life policy and the personality of the individual himself would follow from a series of such definitions.” He cites examples from the ethical code of the Russian
mir
as instances of the definition of the situation “by the community as a whole,” which indicates that it is not just individuals who do the defining. Merton (1995) examines the publishing history of the concept in detail and argues that the “Thomas theorem” was first articulated in Thomas and Thomas (1928: 571–2) but that Dorothy Swain Thomas apparently had relatively little to do with the theoretical idea since she mainly contributed to the statistical argument. Maines (2001: 244–6) argues that Thomas's “definition of the situation” has been falsely perceived by many sociologists as “subjectivistic” in contrast to Merton's (1948) notion of “self‐fulfilling prophecies” as pertaining to objective social structures. To bolster that claim, Maines cites Thomas (1937: 8–9), where Thomas discusses “definitions” giving rise to “patterns.” But the later usage seems to be scarcely distinguishable from cultural norms and values. Merton's self‐fulfilling prophecy focuses on the false definition of the situation which evokes behavior that then makes the original false belief seem true, as in a teacher believing a student has a low IQ and therefore not helping that student learn. In that way, the self‐fulfilling prophecy is a subset of the definition of the situation, not the other way around, as is often held. The Thomas theorem is frequently viewed as specific to symbolic interactionism and irrelevant to other research paradigms, but it can also be interpreted as a contribution to general sociology. Thomas clearly did not mean that all human choice is limited to social constructions that may lack objectivity; there is an “obdurate” reality and many definitions are real due to group pressures as manifested, for example, in gossip. The beliefs of members of a collectivity can create a positive feedback loop (e.g., Black is Beautiful). The “Protestant ethic” may be a definition of the situation that put social action on a new track. A more refined statement of the Thomas theorem might be: if human beings, individually or collectively, define a situation or set of situations as real, such social constructs can sometimes be real in their consequences, for better or for worse. However, that statement would not have the same punch. The extent to which “situation” is limited to small groups and communities rather than nation‐states remains problematic. Is a situation the same as a frame? But Thomas's contribution is valuable as a reminder that there are indeed times when the objective consequences of holding a false belief can be very real and yet not be exactly equivalent to a self‐fulfilling prophecy. Moreover, his ideas are not restricted to symbolic interaction or even just interpretive approaches to interaction generally; his sociological and anthropological “social psychological” interest in cognition and motivation overlaps with other approaches in disciplines such as cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and psychoanalysis (e.g., Langman 1998).