Download 1 FUN WITH THEORIES OF SOCIALIZATION Charles Horton

FUN WITH THEORIES OF SOCIALIZATION
Charles Horton Cooley and “The Looking-Glass Self”
The “looking-glass self” [1] is a social psychological concept, created by Charles Horton Cooley in
1902 (McIntyre 2006), stating that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and
the perceptions of others. The term refers to people shaping themselves based on other people's
perception, which leads the people to reinforce other people's perspectives on themselves. People
shape themselves based on what other people perceive and confirm other people's opinion on
themselves.
"In a very large and interesting class of cases the social reference takes the form of a somewhat
definite imagination of how one's self--that is any idea he appropriates--appears in a particular mind,
and the kind of self-feeling one has is determined by the attitude toward this attributed to that other
mind. A social self of this sort might be called the reflected or looking glass self:
'Each to each a looking-glass Reflects the other that doth pass.'
As we see our face, figure, and dress in the glass, and are interested in them because they are ours,
and pleased or otherwise with them according as they do or do not answer to what we should like
them to be; so in imagination we perceive in another's mind some thought of our appearance,
manners, aims, deeds, character, friends, and so on, and are variously affected by it."
C.H. Cooley has summed it up in his statement: "I am not what I think I am and I am not what you
think I am; I am what I think that you think I am."
It has three major components and is unique to humans (Shaffer 2005). According to Lisa McIntyre’s
The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology, in the looking-glass self a person views himself or
herself through others' perceptions in society and in turn gains identity. Identity, or self, is the result of
the concept in which we learn to see ourselves as others do (Yeung & Martin 2003). The lookingglass self begins at an early age and continues throughout the entirety of a person’s life as one will
never stop modifying their self unless all social interactions are ceased. Some sociologists believe
that the concept wanes over time. Others note that only a few studies have been conducted with a
large number of subjects in natural settings.
Symbolic Interaction
In hypothesizing the framework for the looking glass self, Cooley said, "the mind is mental" because
"the human mind is social." Beginning as children, humans begin to define themselves within the
context of their socializations. The child learns that the symbol of his/her crying will elicit a response
from his/her parents, not only when they are in need of necessities such as food, but also as a
symbol to receive their attention. Schubert references in Cooley's On Self and Social Organization, "a
growing solidarity between mother and child parallels the child's increasing competence in using
significant symbols.
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George Herbert Mead described self as "taking the role of the other," the premise for which the self is
actualized. Through interaction with others, we begin to develop an identity about who we are, as well
as empathy for others. This is the notion of, 'Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.' In
respect to this Cooley said, "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." (Cooley 1964)
Three Components
There are three main components of the looking-glass self (Yeung, et al. 2003).
1. We imagine how we must appear to others.
2. We imagine the judgment of that appearance.
3. We develop our self through the judgments of others.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_glass_self
Cooley’s Theory in Review...
The central concept in Cooley’s theory is the looking-glass self. Society acts as a looking glass for
every individual. People observe reactions of other to their actions in this looking glass. If the image
they see is favorable, the self concept is enhanced and behavior is likely to be repeated. If the image
they see to an action is unfavorable, self concept is diminished and the related behavior is likely to
change.
Like Freud, Cooley also advocates that the self-concepts formed in childhood are more stable and
lasting than those formed later in life. However, he has emphasized the the process of self-evaluation
is a continuous process throughout the life and personality evolves. In Cooley's theory, there is no
conflict between individuals and society on a continuous basis. There is more cooperation and
interaction.
Source: Socialization - a knol by Narayana Rao K.V.S.S. (http://knol.google.com/k/socialization#Cooley(E2)(80)(99)s_Theory)