George Herbert Mead- The I and the Me | Individuals and Society | MCAT | Khan Academy

Summary

Sociologists Charles Cooley and George Herbert Mead explored how others influence our self-concept. While Cooley believed all interactions affect self-identity, Mead argued only certain relationships during specific life stages matter. Mead outlined three developmental stages: the preparatory stage of imitation, the play stage of role-taking, and the game stage where children grasp societal roles. This progression leads to the formation of the 'me' (social self) and the 'I' (individual response), culminating in a balanced self-concept.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Sociologists Charles Cooley and George Herbert Mead believed that others significantly influence our self-identity, but they had different views on how this influence occurs.
• 🌟 Cooley thought that everyone we interact with throughout our lives can affect our self-identity, while Mead believed that only certain people during specific life periods have this impact.
• 👶 Mead argued that infants and very young children are not influenced by others and are egocentric, similar to Piaget's concept of egocentrism.
• 👧 As children grow, they progress through three stages of social development: the preparatory stage, the play stage, and the game stage, each with distinct behaviors and understandings.
• 🍳 In the preparatory stage, children imitate others through play, like pretending to cook with pots and pans or clean with brooms.
• 🗣️ The play stage sees children focusing on communication and role-taking, where they pretend to be different characters, reflecting an awareness of social roles.
• 🤝 During the game stage, children's understanding of social interactions deepens as they consider the attitudes and behaviors of the 'generalized other', or society as a whole.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Children begin to recognize that individuals perform roles based on societal expectations and that people can have multiple roles.
• 🤔 Mead emphasized that as children acknowledge the generalized other, they become concerned about how their actions and words influence others' perceptions of them.
• 💭 The development of the 'I' and the 'me' is central to Mead's theory, where the 'me' represents our social self and the 'I' is our individual response to societal views.

Q & A

How do sociologists Charles Cooley and George Herbert Mead differ in their views on how others influence our self-identity?

Cooley believed that everyone a person interacts with throughout their life can influence their self-identity, while Mead thought that only certain people during specific periods of life can have this impact.

What is Mead's perspective on the influence of others on infants and very young children?

Mead believed that infants and very young children are not influenced by others. They see themselves as the center of their world and lack the ability to take the perspective of another person.

How does Mead's concept of self-development align with Piaget's concept of egocentrism?

Mead's view that young children are not influenced by others and see themselves as the center of their world is similar to Piaget's concept of egocentrism, where children are unable to consider others' perspectives.

What are the three stages Mead identified in the development of self-perception through social interaction?

The three stages are the preparatory stage, the play stage, and the game stage. Each stage represents a different level of social interaction and understanding of self in relation to others.

During the preparatory stage, how do children interact with others according to Mead?

In the preparatory stage, children interact through imitation, such as playing with pots and pans when someone is cooking or using a broom when parents are cleaning.

What is the significance of the play stage in Mead's theory of social development?

During the play stage, children become more aware of social relationships and start to pretend play as other people, focusing on role-taking and mentally assuming the perspectives of others.

How does the game stage differ from the play stage in Mead's theory?

In the game stage, children's understanding of social interactions becomes more developed, and they start to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the 'generalized other' or society as a whole.

What does Mead mean by the 'generalized other' in the context of the game stage?

The 'generalized other' refers to society as a whole, and during the game stage, children begin to understand that people's behaviors are influenced not only by personal beliefs but also by societal expectations.

How does Mead describe the development of the 'I' and the 'me' in an individual's self-concept?

The 'me' is the social self, formed through interactions with others and how we believe the generalized other sees us. The 'I' is the individual's response to the 'me', considering what those social perceptions mean.

What is the balance that Mead suggests constitutes our actual self?

According to Mead, our actual self is the balance of both the 'I' and the 'me', where the 'I' represents our individual identity and the 'me' represents our social self.

Outlines

00:00

👥 The Development of Self-Identity Through Social Interactions

This paragraph explores how sociologists Cooley and Mead view the impact of others on our self-identity. Cooley believes that everyone we interact with throughout our lives influences our self-identity, while Mead suggests a more limited scope, with only certain individuals and life periods affecting our self-perception. Mead introduces the concept that young children are not influenced by others and are egocentric, akin to Piaget's theory. As children grow, they progress through three stages: the preparatory stage of imitation, the play stage where they begin to understand social roles, and the game stage where they comprehend societal expectations. Mead emphasizes the importance of the 'generalized other' and the development of the 'I' and 'me' concepts, where 'me' represents our social self and 'I' is our individual response to societal views.

05:01

🤔 Understanding the 'I' and 'Me' in Personal Identity

The second paragraph delves into the concepts of 'I' and 'me' as described by Mead. It clarifies the 'me' as society's view of an individual and the 'I' as the individual's personal response to societal expectations. Despite the potential for conflict between these two aspects, Mead posits that our true self is the balance between the 'I' and the 'me'. The paragraph aims to demystify these terms by relating them to the interplay between societal roles and personal identity.

Keywords

💡Self-identity

Self-identity refers to the understanding and perception an individual has of themselves. In the video, it is discussed as being influenced by others, particularly in the theories of Charles Cooley and George Herbert Mead. Cooley suggests that everyone we interact with can shape our self-identity, while Mead posits a more selective influence, emphasizing certain periods and relationships.

💡Charles Cooley

Charles Cooley was a sociologist who believed that all interactions throughout a person's life can affect their self-identity. This idea is contrasted with Mead's more restrictive view, highlighting the debate on the extent to which others shape our sense of self.

💡George Herbert Mead

George Herbert Mead, another sociologist, is noted for his theory that only certain individuals and periods in life significantly influence self-perception. His ideas are foundational to understanding the development of self through social interactions as outlined in the video.

💡Egocentrism

Egocentrism is a concept from developmental psychology, similar to Mead's view that young children are the center of their own world and do not consider others' perspectives. The video uses this concept to explain the early stage of self-development where children lack the ability to take another's point of view.

💡Preparatory stage

The preparatory stage, as described by Mead, is the first of three stages where children begin to interact with others through imitation rather than true social interaction. This stage is crucial for the development of social skills and understanding, as exemplified by children imitating adult behaviors.

💡Play stage

The play stage is where children's awareness of social relationships grows, and they start to engage in pretend play, taking on roles of others. This stage is significant as it marks the beginning of children's ability to mentally assume and respond from another's perspective, as seen when they play roles like 'mommy' or 'doctor'.

💡Game stage

The game stage is the final stage in Mead's theory where children's understanding of social interactions becomes more sophisticated. They begin to consider the 'generalized other,' or society's expectations, and recognize that individuals can have multiple roles. This stage is exemplified in the video by the realization that teachers are not just educators but also have personal lives.

💡Generalized other

The 'generalized other' is a concept introduced by Mead to describe the collective perspective of society. In the video, it is explained as the understanding that children develop in the game stage, realizing that societal roles and expectations shape individual behaviors and that people can fulfill multiple roles.

💡I and Me

Mead's theory of the 'I' and the 'me' is central to the video's discussion on self-concept. The 'me' represents the social self, formed through interactions and societal expectations, while the 'I' is the individual's response to the 'me'. The video illustrates this with the example of understanding societal norms ('me') and questioning them ('I').

💡Role-taking

Role-taking is the ability to mentally assume the perspective of another person and act based on their point of view. This concept is crucial during the play stage, where children start to engage in pretend play, reflecting a deeper understanding of social roles and interactions.

💡Social self

The social self, or 'me' in Mead's theory, is how we believe the generalized other sees us. It is formed through social interactions and is a learned aspect of our identity. The video explains that this social self is influenced by significant others and societal expectations, shaping how we present ourselves to others.

Highlights

Charles Cooley and George Herbert Mead believed that others significantly influence our self-identity.

Cooley thought everyone we interact with can affect our self-identity.

Mead believed only certain people can influence our self-perception during specific life periods.

Mead suggested that the way others influence us changes over our lifespan.

Infants and young children are not influenced by others, according to Mead.

Young children are egocentric and lack the ability to take another's perspective.

Mead's theory aligns with Piaget's concept of egocentrism in children.

As we grow, our beliefs about others' perceptions of us become more important.

Mead identified three stages of social development: preparatory, play, and game stages.

In the preparatory stage, children imitate others but do not engage in true interactions.

The play stage involves children pretending to be other people, focusing on role-taking.

During the game stage, children understand the attitudes and behaviors of the 'generalized other'.

Children learn that people perform based on societal expectations and personal beliefs.

Mead emphasized that people can have multiple roles, not just one.

As children acknowledge the generalized other, they become concerned about others' reactions.

Mead's concept of the 'I' and the 'me' explains the development of social self and individual identity.

The 'me' represents our social self, and the 'I' is our response to the 'me'.

Our actual self is a balance of both the 'I' and the 'me', according to Mead.

Transcripts

- Sociologists, Charles Cooley and George Herbert Mead

both thought that other people

could play a significant role in how we view ourselves.

However, they differed in how

they thought this might happen.

Whereas Cooley thought that everyone

that a person interacts with

during their entire lifespan

could influence our self-identity in some way or another,

Mead thought that the process was somewhat more restricted.

He thought that only certain people

could influence our perception of self

and only during certain periods of life.

He also thought that the way that others influence us

changes across the lifespan.

For example, Mead believed that infants

and other very young children,

were not actually influenced by others in any way.

Instead he believed that young children see themselves

as being the focus of their own world

and, consequently, they don't really care

about what other people think of them.

At the same time, they also lack the ability

to even take the perspective of another person.

For those of you who are familiar with psychology

and with developmental psychology,

you might realize that this is very similar

to Piaget's concept of egocentrism.

But Mead also believed that as we grow up

our beliefs about how other people perceive us

start to become more important.

Mead thought that this happened

through three distinct stages:

the preparatory stage, the play stage and the game stage.

During the preparatory stage,

children interact with others through imitation.

They might play with pots and pans when a person is cooking,

or use a broom or a toy vacuum

when their parents are trying to clean,

which, of course, usually winds up making more of a mess,

but these aren't really true interactions.

As these children grow older

they start to focus more on communication with others

as opposed to simple imitation of them.

They get practice using symbols,

things like gestures and words

and other forms of communication

that they will later have to master as they grow up.

During the play stage, children become more aware

of the importance of social relationships.

Mead believed that this was reflected

in children's tendency to pretend play as other people.

They play as mommies or daddies

or doctors of firefighters, etcetera.

And, whereas before they were really incapable

of taking on the perspectives of others,

now they're really focused on them.

Now they're really focused on role-taking

or mentally assuming the perspectives of another person

and acting based on their perceived point of view.

Even though this might seem like imitation,

the kind we saw in the preparatory stage,

this actually goes way beyond it,

because the children are able to respond.

They're not simply capable of mimicking social interactions,

they're capable of creating them.

During the last stage, the game stage,

children's understanding of social interactions

become even more developed.

During the play stage children become able

to consider the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors

of the individuals who are closest to them.

During the game stage they start

to understand the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors

of what Mead referred to as the "generalized other,"

or society as a whole.

With this comes a whole new understanding of society.

For example, children start to realize

that people not only perform in ways

based on what they, personally believe,

but also based on what society

more broadly expects of them.

They also start to understand

that someone can take multiple roles,

that people aren't simply moms or doctors of teachers,

that they can be multiple things at once.

This is something that I actually recall

from when I was a kid.

I remember that as a really young child

I really believed that all my teachers did was teach.

I thought that that was really the sum total

of their existence.

I actually remember it being really confusing

when I saw them in a supermarket

or learned that they had children of their own.

As all of this is happening,

as children start to acknowledge the generalized other

and they start to realize that people have multiple rolls,

they also start to understand that other people

must have opinions about them

and that those perceptions are influenced

by how they act and what they say.

In response, they themselves begin

to be influenced by these perceptions

and they start to be concerned

about the reactions of others to what they do.

But they don't really care about the perceptions

of everyone they come across.

They're mainly focused on the perceptions

of the significant others in their life.

By that I don't mean a girlfriend or a boyfriend,

at least not exclusively,

but by all the people who have important relationships

to that individual, parents, teachers, close peers.

Mead believed that this understanding

lead to the development of the "I" and the "me,"

where the "me" is our social self

and the "I" is our response to the "me."

The "me" is how we believe the generalized other sees us.

It is what we learn through interactions with others.

The "I" thinks about what those things mean.

As an example, the "me" might understand

that people in the US typically

go from high school directly to college,

but the "I" might wonder if that is best,

if maybe it would be best if some people traveled first

or if they maybe worked for a few years.

I actually always found these terms

to be somewhat confusing.

The way that I think about it

is to think about the "me" as society's view

and then the "I" is the individual indentity

stepping in, or our personal responses

to what society thinks.

Even though we have these two parts

and they might seem like they're conflicting,

Mead would say that who we are,

our actual self, is the balance

of both the "I" and the "me."