Cooley: Looking Glass Self
Mead: Role Taking

The four components of “self concept”:
 The physical self (I am tall)
 The active self (I am good at soccer)
 The social self (I am nice)
 The psychological self (I believe in world peace)
This continues to change throughout our lives

Both Charles Horton Cooley and George
Herbert Mead were symbolic interactionists.

They emphasized social constructionism:
The perspective that human life is essentially
social and that society itself is a product of
collective construction or manufacture.

Out self-identity is our perception
about what kind of person we are.

According to symbolic
interactionists, we do not know
who we are until we see ourselves
as we believe others see us.

We gain information about
ourselves through interactions
with others.

The looking-glass self refers to the way in
which a person’s sense of self is derived from
the perceptions of others.
1. We imagine how our personality and
appearance will look to other people.
2. We imagine how other people judge the
appearance and personality we think we
represent. (our perception)
3. We develop a self-concept. Our self-concept
is either enhanced or diminished.

The thing that moves us to pride or shame is
not the mere mechanical reflection of
ourselves, but an imputed sentiment, the
imagined effect of this reflection upon
another's mind."
- CHARLES COOLEY

An extension of Cooley’s ideas.

Role-taking is the process by which a person
mentally assumes the role of another person
in order to understand the world from that
person’s point of view.

Significant others: are those persons whose
care, affection, and approval are especially
desired and who are most important in the
development of the self.

Generalized others: refers to the awareness
of the demands of the society as a whole or of
the child’s subculture.



The “I” is the subjective element of the self
that represents the spontaneous and unique
traits of each person.
The “me” is the objective element of the self,
which is composed of the internalized
attitudes and demands of other members of
society and the individuals awareness of
those demands.
According to Mead both are needed to form
the social self.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwpTj_Z9
v-c&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5UBvC
GYlU
1.
Prepatory Stage
2.
Play Stage
3.
Game Stage
AGES: Up to age 3
WHAT HAPPENS?

Interactions lack meaning

Children imitate those around them
SIGNIFICANCE:

Preparing for role taking
AGES: 3-5
WHAT HAPPENS?
 Learn to use language/symbols
 Pretend to take the roles of others around
them
SIGNIFICANCE:
 Children begin to see themselves in relation
to others.
AGES: Begins in “early school years”
WHAT HAPPENS?
 Children play games with rules and other players
SIGNIFICANCE:
 Children understand their own positions and those
around them
 Become concerned about the expectations and
demands of others (society)…generalized others