THE SELF IN 3.

We experience feelings of pride or

shame based on his imagined appearance

SOCIOLOGICAL and judgment by others

4. We respond based on our interpretation

PERSPECTIVE
Theory of the Social Self
Definition of Sociology

George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)

 The study of human behaviour
 It refers to social behavior, society, patterns - Self from experience as we learn to
of social relationships, social interactions, interpret situations by “taking on the role
and culture that surrounds everyday life. of the other”

Charles Cooley (1864-1929) - Children learn to do that in imitation,

play, games and generalized others.

 One of the pioneering contributors to

- The social aspect of self is an important
sociological perspective
distinction because other sociologists
and psychologists felt that the self was
 He asserted that people’s self-understanding
based on biological factors and inherited
is constructed, in part by their perception of
traits.
how others view them a process termed
“The Looking Glass Self”
- According to Mead, the self is not there
from birth, but it is developed over time
“The Looking Glass Self” (Cooley) from social experiences and activities.

1. We imagine how we appear to others Development of Self

2. We interpret how others judge that

 According to Mead, three activities develop
appearance and then respond to that
the self:
interpretation through behavior
1. Language
 o Develops self by allowing  The ‘I’ can be considered the present and
individuals to respond to each future phase of the self. The ‘I’ represents
other through symbols, gestures, the individual’s identity based on response
words, and sounds. to the ‘me’.

2. Play The Socialization Process

o Develops self by allowing
individuals to take on different
roles, pretend, and express
expectations of others.
o It develops one’s self-
consciousness through role
playing

3. Games
o Develop self by allowing
individuals to understand and
adhere to the rules of the activity
o Self is developed by
understanding that there are rules
in which one must abide by to
win the game or be successful at
an activity.

Two Sides of Self: Me and I

According to Mead’s theory, the self has two sides

or phases: ‘me’ and ‘I’:

 The ‘me’ is considered the socialized aspect

of the individual. The ‘me’ represents
learned behaviors, attitude, and expectations
of others and the society.