The Self: Classical Sociology - The Chicago School

Summary

This video explores the concept of the self, examining how sociologists understand it in contrast to psychologists. It discusses how the self is shaped by social interactions, drawing on theories from George Herbert Mead, Charles Horton Cooley, and Erving Goffman. Mead introduces role-taking and the development of self through stages, Cooley's 'Looking Glass Self' emphasizes reflective self-construction, and Goffman analyzes the self as a performance shaped by audience interaction. The video challenges the idea of a unified self, instead presenting it as a collaborative and dynamic construct shaped by societal roles and feedback.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The concept of the self can be understood as answering the question 'Who am I?' with multiple responses, such as roles, characteristics, and group memberships.
• 📚 Sociologists examine how the self is shaped by various factors, questioning its unified nature and whether it truly belongs to the individual.
• 🤔 Psychological perspectives often view the self as a unified, intrinsic personality, while sociologists challenge this idea, arguing that the self is more complex and fragmented.
• 👥 Sociological social psychology, especially the symbolic interaction school, focuses on how the self is developed and understood through social interactions and role-taking.
• 🔄 George Herbert Mead introduced the concept of role-taking, emphasizing how children develop self-awareness through stages: play, game, and generalized other.
• 👶 In the play stage, children's role-taking is limited to one person at a time, whereas the game stage involves understanding specific rules and multiple roles, reflecting increased social understanding.
• 🌍 Charles Horton Cooley's concept of the Looking Glass self describes the reflective process by which we imagine how we appear to others, receive feedback, and adjust our behavior accordingly.
• 🎭 Erving Goffman's theory of dramaturgy views the self as a performance, with individuals acting out roles and using scripts, props, and settings to present themselves to others.
• 🚪 Goffman highlights the importance of defining situations in social interactions, where both the performer and the audience have the power to accept or reject each other's definitions.
• 🤝 The self is not an inherent attribute but a collaborative construct, emerging from interactions between performers and audiences, shaped by social establishments and the dynamics of acceptance and rejection.

Q & A

What is the central question regarding the self that the speaker asks at the beginning of the lecture?

The central question is 'Who am I?' and the speaker encourages listeners to consider various answers such as being a student, parent, worker, etc., while exploring how sociologists approach the concept of the self.

How do sociologists challenge the psychological view of the self?

Sociologists challenge the psychological view that the self is a unified, individual essence, often seen as personality. Instead, they argue that the self is socially constructed and not a singular entity owned by the individual.

What role does 'role taking' play in the development of the self according to George Herbert Mead?

According to Mead, 'role taking' is the ability to understand and adopt other people's perspectives and expectations. It is a crucial process in the development of the self, especially as children move from the play stage to the game stage.

What is the difference between the 'play stage' and the 'game stage' in Mead's theory?

In the 'play stage,' children engage in simple, unstructured play without specific rules. In the 'game stage,' children begin to understand and follow rules, taking on roles within a group and understanding their place in relation to others.

What is the 'generalized other,' and how does it impact the self?

The 'generalized other' refers to the broader societal norms and expectations. When a child develops an understanding of the generalized other, they can respond to societal demands beyond just individual interactions, shaping their self-concept.

How does Charles Horton Cooley's 'Looking Glass Self' theory explain the development of the self?

Cooley's 'Looking Glass Self' theory explains that the self develops through social interaction. People imagine how others perceive them, interpret feedback from others, and adjust their self-concept based on those perceptions.

What is Erving Goffman's concept of 'dramaturgy,' and how does it relate to the self?

Goffman's concept of 'dramaturgy' views social interaction as a performance, with individuals as actors presenting themselves to an audience. The self is shaped through these performances, where people use scripts, props, and settings to present themselves.

What is the significance of the 'definition of the situation' in Goffman's theory?

The 'definition of the situation' refers to how individuals frame and define a social interaction. The performer tries to define the situation, but the audience has the power to accept or reject this definition, shaping the outcome of the interaction.

How does Goffman emphasize the collaborative nature of the self?

Goffman argues that the self is not something possessed by an individual but is instead a product of interaction. It is collaboratively manufactured through the roles, props, and responses of both the performer and the audience.

Why is it important to study the concept of the self, according to the speaker?

Studying the self is important because understanding how individuals form their self-concepts can reveal how societal factors, group memberships, and interactions shape personal identity. This has broader implications for how we navigate social roles and expectations.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Exploring the Self and Identity

This paragraph introduces the concept of the self and poses fundamental questions such as 'Who am I?' The speaker highlights the variety of ways people define themselves (e.g., by occupation, gender, etc.) and raises sociological questions about how the self is understood. Factors like context, location, and group memberships are discussed as key influences on identity. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of studying the self and the consequences of self-awareness.

05:06

🧠 The Psychological and Sociological Perspectives on the Self

The speaker contrasts psychological and sociological views of the self, focusing on psychology's tendency to view the self as a unified entity, such as a personality. By referencing Freud’s division of the mind into the id, ego, and superego, and neurobiology’s study of different brain parts, the speaker argues that the self may not be a unified whole. Sociologists question this unity and propose that the self may be shaped by social interactions rather than being solely individual.

10:06

📚 Symbolic Interactionism and the Development of the Self

The speaker introduces symbolic interactionism, a sociological school of thought that explores how the self is developed through social interactions. George Herbert Mead's ideas, especially on 'role taking,' are discussed. Mead's theory emphasizes how children learn to adopt others' perspectives as they move from the play stage to the game stage. Through role-taking, children develop a greater understanding of the self, progressing toward grasping societal roles and rules as a whole (the 'generalized other').

🔍 The Looking Glass Self and Social Interaction

This section focuses on Charles Horton Cooley's concept of the 'Looking Glass Self,' which suggests that individuals form their self-image based on how they believe others perceive them. It is a reflective process involving how we think we appear to others, how others judge our appearance, and how we react to their feedback. Cooley and other sociologists emphasize that the self is shaped through interaction with others rather than being an isolated entity.

🎭 Goffman’s Dramaturgical Approach to the Self

Erving Goffman's dramaturgical approach is introduced, comparing social interactions to performances on a stage. Terms like 'performer,' 'audience,' and 'props' are used to explain how individuals present themselves in social settings. Goffman emphasizes the power of the audience in accepting or rejecting the performer's presentation. The definition of the situation, where individuals frame interactions to convey specific identities, is a key concept in understanding the construction of the self.

🎬 Collaborative Construction of the Self

The final paragraph delves deeper into Goffman's idea that the self is a product of collaborative social interactions. The self is not a fixed attribute of the individual but is constructed through social processes involving both the performer and the audience. Goffman stresses that the means of producing and maintaining the self are socially established and emerge from the interaction between individuals and their surroundings.

Keywords

💡Self

The 'self' refers to the individual's understanding of who they are, encompassing roles, traits, and identity. The video explores the concept of self from both psychological and sociological perspectives, emphasizing how sociologists challenge the idea of a unified, individual self and instead view it as shaped by social interactions. The self is central to the video's theme, as it forms the foundation of the exploration into how identity is constructed and perceived.

💡Role taking

Role taking is the ability to adopt other people's perspectives and expectations to guide one's behavior. George Herbert Mead's concept highlights the development of self through social interaction. As children progress through stages of development, their capacity to understand different roles and societal expectations grows. The video uses the example of children moving from the play stage, where there are no formal rules, to the game stage, where they must understand and follow structured rules.

💡Play stage

The play stage is a concept introduced by Mead to describe a developmental phase where children engage in unstructured play without strict rules. During this stage, role taking is limited as children can only understand one person's perspective at a time, such as a parent or a friend. This concept illustrates how self-awareness and social understanding evolve, as children later progress to more complex stages of role taking.

💡Game stage

The game stage is another phase in Mead's theory of role taking, where children begin to understand structured roles and rules in activities like sports. At this stage, they can comprehend how their role fits into a broader social system, such as being part of a soccer team. The video explains how this stage represents an increased understanding of the self, as children can navigate multiple perspectives and responsibilities.

💡Generalized other

The generalized other is Mead’s concept that represents the broader societal norms and values that individuals internalize. In this stage of development, children can respond to societal expectations, not just those of specific individuals like parents or teachers. The concept helps illustrate how self-awareness becomes more complex as individuals learn to navigate societal rules, shaping their understanding of who they are in a social context.

💡Looking Glass Self

Charles Horton Cooley’s 'Looking Glass Self' suggests that individuals develop their self-concept based on how they believe others perceive them. It is a reflective process where people imagine how they appear to others, receive feedback, and adjust their self-image accordingly. The video uses this concept to emphasize that the self is not solely an internal construct but one that emerges through social interaction.

💡Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy is a concept introduced by Erving Goffman that views social interactions as performances, where individuals present themselves in specific ways depending on their audience. The video explains that Goffman uses theatrical terms like 'performer' and 'audience' to describe how individuals act in social settings, suggesting that identity is performed and shaped by how others respond. This idea challenges the notion of a fixed self and emphasizes its fluid nature.

💡Definition of the situation

This is a concept from Goffman that refers to how individuals attempt to define social situations by presenting themselves in certain ways. The video explains that in any interaction, one person may try to establish a particular role or identity, which the audience can either accept or reject. This negotiation process is crucial to understanding how the self is formed in social contexts.

💡Social interaction

Social interaction is a core theme in the video, referring to the way people engage with one another, shaping their identity through these exchanges. Sociologists argue that the self is not a fixed, internal entity but rather something that is constantly constructed and reconstructed through interaction with others. Examples in the video include role taking, dramaturgy, and the Looking Glass Self, all of which emphasize the importance of social dynamics in shaping the self.

💡Group memberships

Group memberships refer to the various social groups that individuals belong to, such as being a student, a worker, or a parent, and how these affiliations influence one's self-concept. The video highlights that these memberships play a significant role in how individuals define who they are. For instance, identifying as a father or a teacher impacts how people understand their roles and responsibilities, shaping their self-image in the process.

Highlights

The self can be understood by asking 'Who am I?' and considering roles like student, parent, worker, etc.

Sociologists study how the self is influenced by society and interaction, challenging the idea of a unified, individual self.

Contextual factors like work, friends, and societal changes impact how we understand ourselves.

Group memberships, such as being a parent or a worker, shape our self-concept and identity.

Psychology often views the self as a unified personality, but sociologists challenge this idea, suggesting the self is not just an internal construct.

Freud’s division of the mind into the id, ego, and superego suggests the psyche can be in conflict, which contradicts the idea of a unified self.

Neurobiology also supports the idea of a divided self, with different brain parts influencing different behaviors.

The symbolic interaction school, particularly George Herbert Mead, emphasizes that the self develops through role-taking.

Children in the play stage have limited role-taking ability, focusing on single-person perspectives like a parent’s reaction.

The game stage in development allows children to understand rules and take on multiple perspectives, increasing their understanding of self.

In the generalized other stage, children grasp societal expectations beyond individual roles, leading to a more concrete self-concept.

Charles Horton Cooley’s 'Looking Glass Self' theory explains how the self is formed by imagining how others perceive us, their judgments, and our reactions.

Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical approach compares social interactions to a performance, where individuals present themselves based on roles.

Goffman emphasizes the power of the audience to accept or reject the performer's definition of the situation, affecting the creation of the self.

The self is a collaborative process between performer and audience, created through interaction rather than being inherent to the individual.

Transcripts

good afternoon our next unit we will focus on  the self in a very simple way we could think  

about the self as answering the question Who am I  you might have a lot of answers to that question  

you might say I'm a student I'm a parent I'm a  worker I'm a citizen I'm a man I'm a woman I'm  

tall I'm short so we have a lot of answers to this  question but what do sociologists have to tell  

us about the self how we understand ourselves how  we understand who we are and what we do there's a  

bunch of questions that I want you to think about  as we work the next couple of weeks and we focused  

on we focus on self I want you to answer the  question what is the self if you can offer a good  

answer to this question then you're in good shape  what contextual factors impact the self how is it  

created how does it change when does it change  what about location does it matter whether we're  

at work or were with our friends had a changes  in the broader society impact the self in the old  

days we were farmers and there was no television  and there was no not even schools the family was  

basically where you worked where you went to  school your family was everything our society  

has changed in a major way how has that impacted  how we understand ourselves what about group  

memberships how do those impact the self I just  said when I said who I was I said I was a father  

I was a teacher a student a man a woman those  are all group memberships so how do those group  

memberships impact the self and the most important  questions are why is it important to study this  

thing this self and what are the consequences of  understanding yourself a certain way well let's  

begin with psychology because many folks study  psychology and psychology is a lot more popular  

than sociology so many of you might have an  answer to these questions coming from psychology

within psychology the self is usually and I  want to emphasize the word usually discussed  

as a thing an essence like a personality it  belongs to the individual I have this thing  

that's called myself I have a personality  within psychology the self or personality  

is often discussed as a unified thing there is  this sort of unified self or unified personality  

let's challenge this idea please note that many  psychological theories of the mind consciousness  

and the brain divide the mind consciousness and  brain into parts think about Freud one of the  

most important psychologists around Freud said  there was the it'd go and super-ego and these  

things can be in conflict the it might want  one thing the super-ego might want something  

else the ego negotiates between the two but it  sounds to me like the psyche is is in conflict  

and it's these parts that might not be working  together all the time what about neurobiologists  

neurobiologists look at the parts of the brain how  they function what they do and how they work but  

again there are parts and maybe one part of our  brain is pulling us one way another part of our  

brain is pulling us up somewhere else therefore I  want you to understand the sociologists question  

the unified nature of the self and sociologists  question whether the self is a thing created by  

the individual sociologist question whether the  self belongs or is owned by the individual so  

let's talk a little bit about sociological social  psychology which is different from psychological  

social psychology specifically we're going to  talk about the symbolic interaction school this  

is a school of sociologists many of whom worked  at the University of Chicago which is one of the  

best graduate programs in the country almost for  any field whether we're talking about economics  

sociology or chemistry the University of Chicago  is one of the best schools in the country many  

people aren't aware that and there was a whole  school of psych sociologists that worked there  

and they created the symbolic interaction school  one important sociologist is named George Herbert  

Mead Mead actually did not believe in publishing  he taught a lot of students and they thought his  

ideas were genius after he died or maybe when  he was very old I forget which his students came  

together and they published his notes from his  class that's what they did they said he had great  

ideas let's publish his notes one important idea  for Mead is the idea of role taking the ability to  

use other people's perspectives and expectations  in formulating one's own behavior the idea that  

children struggle with role taking shows us that  the self develops over time when children are in  

the play stage I want to note that play stage is  not guided by a specific set of rules children  

will play games they will play with a car they  will play with their dolls or a bear but there's  

really no specific set of rules there's no winning  no losing no out of bounds they're just playing  

and there's no rules that are guiding them in a  real strict sense at this point in development  

role taking is limited to one person at a time a  child can understand that his mommy or daddy is  

upset with him or his mommy or daddy thinks he's  doing something wrong a child can understand that  

his friend is taking his toy way but it's very  very limited role taking the next stage is called  

the game stage to meaningfully participate  in a game like soccer or baseball it means  

understanding a specific set of rules I have  a four-year-old son who just played his first  

season of soccer and he really didn't understand  the game at all he didn't understand the rules  

the coach had to tell him to throw the ball in and  to try to score goals he didn't really understand  

the rules so my son is not really in the game  stage as a four-year-old when children get a  

little bit older they meaningfully understand the  rules of the game and part of that is increased  

role taking now a child can understand that their  self is part of a team and their self has to take  

on roles if you're the goalie you understand who  you are and what you have to do and you understand  

what the defense does and what they have to  do and what the forwards arm they have to do  

you understand you can answer the questions Who  am I and what am I responsible for and children  

in the game stage have a greater understanding of  self and they understand role taking to a greater  

extent they understand what other people are  doing around them and why they're doing it and  

how the parts fit together the last step for for  me is when children develop the generalized other  

another way of saying this is society the child  can respond to the demands of society as a whole  

the child understands it's not just daddy who  doesn't want me to pick my nose society at large  

doesn't think I should pick my nose and then try  to touch people or try to touch food society at  

large that those are those are larger rules the  child can now understand that it's not just my  

teacher that doesn't want me to do this this is  a social role rule that many many teachers want  

it's it's beyond just one situation role taking  at this point involves the ability to generalize  

behavior across a variety of situations and  audiences at this point a child has a much  

more calm concrete understanding of self they know  who they are they know what they're allowed to do  

and they are understanding their social role in  the broadest sense another important sociologist  

is named Charles Horton Cooley he wrote the  book on self and social organization coolies  

most important contribution is the idea of the  Looking Glass self each to each a lookingglass  

reflects the other that doth pass is something  that Cooley wrote Cooley had three steps in the  

process of developing a Looking Glass self he  said it was a reflective process he said all of  

us imagined how we appear to others others judge  our appearance and respond to us and then we react  

to that feedback for [ __ ] the self is very  much something created as people interact with  

each other all of these sociologists focused on  interaction the last sociologists we're going to  

talk about today is named Erving Goffman Goffman  was the president of the American Sociological  

Association at one point he wrote this book that  most sociologists students will read at one point  

in their major it's called the presentation of  self in everyday life Goffman went to a small  

island and he observed people on a daily basis  he told them that he was studying farming so they  

talked to him about farming because there were a  bunch of farmers but he was really studying how  

they present themselves and you have a reading  from this book to do this week so let's talk a  

little bit about Goffman's ideas Goffman has been  credited with the idea of dramaturgy which means  

he looks at the self as performance he looks  at looks at it as a drama as as sort of like a  

stage acting so Goffman uses terms like performers  and audience he looks at the relationship between  

the performer and the audience with every social  situation I will be the performer you will be the  

audience and then you're the performer and I'm  the audience and he uses this way to understand  

social interaction he points out that many of us  are using scripts think about it when you talk  

to your old friends others is there a certain  set of ideas or a certain set of questions that  

you ask them hey have you talked to so-and-so  oh I remember you said that your kid was sick  

did your kid get better you certain certain themes  and ideas that are just reassuring and they sort  

of scripting how we talk to each other and what  we talked about he also uses the word props for  

us to understand that we have like an actor we  have props all around us do we pick up the chair  

and throw it do we sit in the chair do we answer  the phone the clothes we wear all of those things  

like an actor putting on a play we have all  of these things around us and they shape how  

we present ourselves to others and of course all  actors have a stage or a setting and we can create  

our setting one of the most important ideas that  Goffman wants to talk about is the definition of  

the situation he argues that when two people come  together one person let's say I'm the performer I  

try to define the situation I try to tell people  who I am what I'm about what this situation is and  

I try to sort of frame the props for them and  the other audience member the other person in  

the audience that I'm talking to can accept my  definition of the situation or they can reject  

it they can offer their own definition of the  situation they can offer their own definition  

of Who I am of who they are and what Goffman  really finds fascinating is when two definitions  

of the situation come in conflict if I walked  into a classroom and I say I am the teacher and  

the students say no you are not we have a really  fascinating situation I am presenting to others  

that I am the teacher and that that definition of  the situation is being rejected and Goffman says  

there's something important that we could learn  here one of the most important things we could  

learn for Goffman is the power of the audience a  lot of us give a lot of power to the performer to  

the person who's presenting something and saying  this is what the situation is this is Who I am but  

Goffman says we should all remember the audience  has the power to reject anything the performer  

offers I thought we'd look a little bit at the  text that you'll be reading this week there's  

a key quote that I want to go through word by  word with you in analyzing the self then we are  

drawn from its possessor from the person who  will profit or lose by it for he and his body  

are merely provided the peg on which something  of collaborative manufacture will be hung for a  

time what Goffman is saying here is that when we  analyze the self it's a collaborative manufacture  

we should not focus on the person the person  who gets the self the person who is labeled the  

teacher or the husband or the wife or the friend  we should focus on the collaborative manufacture  

of the self and the means of producing and  maintaining cells do not reside inside the  

peg in fact these means are often bolted down  in social establishments there will be a team  

of persons who actively onstage in conjunction  with available props will constitute the scene  

from which that performed self will emerge and  another team the audience whose interpretive  

activity will be necessary for its emergence the  self is a product of all of these arrangements  

and in all of its parts the marks of its Genesis  what he's saying here is that we should focus on  

the interaction between the person who says hi I  am the teacher and that interactive process with  

the students and see how the self is created  not by the person but through the interaction