The Social Of Social Self

Both Cooley and Goffman have studied the social nature of the self. In this essay I will analyse their views of the self in social interactions and compare which one of these positions is more accurate.

Self is one’s awareness of ideas and attitudes about one’s own personal and social identity. Identity is shaped at a young age from interpreting concepts about one’s own self from others (Mead, 1934). The present study will compare Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality the (id, ego, and, superego) to George Herbert Mead’s social self-theory the (“I” and “me”). The study will give an overview of both theorist and discuss each approach in relationship to each other, and defining the key concepts. According to Schultz and Schultz, (2008) the id is defined as the source of psychic energy and the aspect of personality allied with the instincts. The ego is defined as the rational aspect of personality responsible for

For convenience’s sake, the average person has thought of themselves as precisely that - themselves; but what if we didn’t? The notion that we are comprised of one entity has been accepted as a definite by society, and if one acts otherwise, it is diagnosed as what's commonly known

George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman are two theorists in the study of sociology that have impacted the way we see sociology today. Their works, when closely examined, actually share some extreme similarities. Both of these men seemed very interested in the perception of self in the eyes of others as well as yourself. “Mind, Self, and Society” is an article written by Mead which was placed in the book entitled “Social Theory: The Classic Tradition to Post-Modernism” which was edited by Farganis with the copyright of McGraw-Hill in 2004. This primarily deals with the development of one’s self, or their identity. “Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” is an article written by Goffman which was arranged to be in the book “Inner Lives and

Fiske, S. T. (2010). Social Beings: Core Motives in Social Psychology 2nd Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  1.  Discovering the Self – How do we perceive ourselves and our interactions with others?

This perspective views the individual as one that maneuvers symbols and forms his/her social spheres through interactions. Individuals use those symbols in order to create meaning in their lives. Social order is retained through combined knowledge of daily behavior, while social change is indicated through individuals’ social standings and their connections with others.

Socialization may also be thought of as the development of one’s self based on interactions with other individuals or groups that may shape our ideas, beliefs, or perspectives about the world in which we live. Charles Horton Cooley describes the “self” as the unique human ability to be able to see ourselves from the outside and to internalize the views of how others see us (Henslin 71). As Cooley describes, humans first imagine how we appear to those around us, interpret other’s reactions towards us, and then use these interpretations to develop a self-concept. However, we are not born

I had never fully understood the word self until middle school or high school. Before that my parents and teachers would constantly say be yourself, don’t follow other people around, etc. However, I never understood when being told that what it truly meant. Once middle school and high school started that is when everyone is trying to figure out where they

My sense of self started to develop when I was a child and growing up, I was surrounded by a large family and friends while I developed

     Two things can happen when we are required to base our definition of “self” on others.  One can take others’ ways of living and thinking, process them, and formulate his or her own definition, independent of anyone else.  Or, one can use the relationships he or she has with other people on which to base their own definition of self, thus making him or her dependent on those other people.  As young people, we learn and take in all we can through the world, our experiences, and relationships with other people.  From there, we grow and establish our own identities, our own “selves”, in response to those interactions with others.  This definition is continually growing and progressing as we evolve as people, interacting with different people in different environments and

The ‘looking glass self” state by Antonio is a social psychology ideology that suggests that people's self-image develops out of their interactions with others and what other people perceive about them. This concept, introduced by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902, suggests the development of one’s self and identity via interactions with others in the context of a society. Cooley underlined that the society comprise of a network of inter-working mental perceptions about one another. According to Lisa McIntyre’s The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology, (2013) the concept of the looking-glass self, influences the urge for one to study and understand oneself by reflecting on the manner in which other people regard them, with the narrowed effect being the development of a sense of identity. Therefore, self-identity is the achieved result of viewing ourselves as others do.

When introducing the concept of self-consciousness, it can be very difficult for individuals to understand that there are many forms of self-consciousness. Many already have a definition in mind as soon as they hear the word self-consciousness. It is made up of many concepts because it isn’t just a cognitive state, rather, many cognitive states. The mind processes many things as opposed to just knowing things. Humans are capable of doing and desiring many things while self-evaluating and questioning oneself. Everyone is able to consider their own actions and to think about themselves. When thinking, humans are able to consider ideas and depictions regarding the self and others. Regarding oneself allows for evaluating self-worth in refinement to common social roles (Bermudez).

     The social constructionist perspective holds the view that the self is continuing "shaped and reshaped through interactions with others and involvement in social and cultural activities" (Wetherell & Maybin, 1996, p 220). Social constructionist is concerned with explicating the processes by which people come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world (including themselves) in which they live (Gergen, 1971). Thus, the social constructionist approach implies that the self is shaped by social interaction within historical, cultural and social contexts. Social constructionist's apply an analysis of societal level which explain the self through social relations. Conversely, the

Self concepts begins in childhood but it continues to develop throughout life. As we observe how other people react to us, we modify our “self.” The “self” is never a finished project, and it continues to change as our life takes different turns. Our “self” reacts to the environment that we are in.