Process whereby an individual develops his identity or selfconcept. He describes that ones perception of self is dependent on the thoughts of others. Document resume ed 351 724 author hensley, wayne e. The concept of the l ooking glass self demonstrates that self relation, or how one views oneself is not a solitary phenomenon, but rather includes others. According to this theory, people first imagine how they appear to others. Looking glass self lesson and activities by leah cleary tpt.
As infants, human beings form their very selves from the reflections and responses gained by their earliest behaviors visited upon the. He is perhaps best known for his concept of the looking glass self, which is the concept that a persons self grows out of societys interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. Lookingglass self definition the lookingglass self is the process by which people evaluate themselves based on how others see them. The lookingglass self is created through the imagination of how ones self might be understood by another individual. The looking glass self has stayed the same, but not without the help of other sociologists. Symbolic interaction theory and the lookingglass self offers an explanation for this link. Cooleys looking glass self cooley argued that the self is a product of our social interactions with other people that involves three steps. Cooleys concept of a lookingglass self is both compelling and very straightforward. Looking glass self the lookingglass self is a social psychological concept, created by charles horton cooley in 1902.
How would my life change if i truly believed the bibles astounding words about gods love for me, if i looked in the mirror and saw what god sees. A key idea that contributed to the development of symbolic interactionism is the work of the sociologist charles cooley on the looking glass. Cooleys 1902 looking glass self posits that the selfconcept is built, in part, by how a person. He is also known for the concept of the lookingglass self.
Readings in sociological psychology and microsociology, chapter 4, writes. The concept of looking glass self and its importance can also be seen through the growing social media. Lookingglass self article about lookingglass self by. Cooleys social self and its treatment in introductory textbooks, ebook. Cooley wrote that peoples ideas of themselves have three principal elements. Theory of socialization of how we perceive ourselves and others self. This self is different from the self that is manifest as both body and being different from the self that is tangible, touchable, and lives in particular earthly locations, the self expressed within specific human relations.
Charles horton cooley and the lookingglass self the. The lookingglass self is a sociological concept that has three major components and is unique to humans shaffer 2005. Charles cooleys 1922 idea of the looking glass self lgs is an accepted part of modern sociology. To me it has aspects of issues we go through today, the big one being conformity, because the lookingglass self is simply a form of conformity. The looking glass self 3 sympathy and understanding of anothers plight. Charles horton cooley looking glass self university of. The lookingglass self is one of those abstract sociological concepts that can be difficult for high school students to understand. Cooleys 1902 looking glass self posits that the self concept is built, in part, by how a person. Empirical tests of the looking glass approach to self construction have largely focused on the congruence between how any person ego views herself and how others alter view ego. The paper discusses cooleys classic metaphor of the looking glass self. Extremely deep trance meditation powerful healing music, sub bass music relax mind body greenred productions relaxing music 692 watching live now.
Charles horton cooleys looking glass self explained by dr. Process whereby an individual develops his identity or self concept. According to sociologist charles horton cooley, individuals develop their concept of self by observing how they are perceived by others, a concept cooley coined. Chapter 8 selfesteem selfesteem is the panacea of modern life. To me the looking glass self is not just a concept or a theory but is a vital step in socialization because its an interaction we all experience. They act as the mirror to people where they seek for judgments and feedbacks from other people. The johari window is a graphical model with four quadrants designed to increase effective relationships within a. Its a social psychological theory created by charles cooley in 1902, and more than a century later, its still relevant. This paper focuses on the relationships which exist between the lookingglassself theory of human behavior of charles horton cooley published in 1902 and the idea of social penetration of i. See more ideas about looking glass self, self image and self. The weaknesses of the concept include the insistence on the subjective society to cause people to behave in a certain way possibly forcing them to ignore their values to please others. The looking glass self, a co ncept created by charles cooley supported the theory that individuals learn to see themselves based on ho w society views them.
This study brought an enduring social psychology theory into the era of mass self communication. The lookingglass self is a concept drawn originally from the work of george herbert mead, encapsulating the idea that our selfimage the mental idea we have of who and how we are is shaped by our interactions with others. In the early 1900s, social psychologist charles horton cooley proposed a theory called the looking glass self. Selfesteem process variables 49 lookingglass process 49 achievement process 50. Researchers have generally assumed that any congruence found, which we shall term the looking glass effect, is the result of a process of internalization gecas 1982. He suggests that one formulates an idea of ones self based upon information gathered from the reactions of and interactions with others. The term looking glass self is the idea that a persons sense of self grows out of societys interactions with. From mirror selfrecognition to the lookingglass self. There has been many experiments done over the years to help see the looking glass self in action. According to cooley, the individual comes to know or define himself through the process of. Cooley states that society and individuals do not denote separable phenomena, but are simply collective and distributive. Theories of socialization boundless sociology lumen learning. We imagine what judgements that person makes of us.
It is seen as the key to financial success, health, and personal fulfillment, and it is regarded as the antidote to underachievement, crime, and drug abuse branden, 1994. Looking glass self is a term coined by the sociologist charles horton cooley, and refers to his proposal that the individuals perception of himself is based on how he believes that others perceive him. The lookingglass self theory is also known as symbolic interactionism. Knowingly or unknowingly, your behavior and self esteem are dictated by your predictions of how you will be perceived by others. This study brought an enduring social psychology theory into the era of mass selfcommunication. There are actually two effects that basically describe the same thing. A critical analysis of interpersonal communication in. Cooley states that society and individuals do not denote. If we follow the cooley quote i am not who you think i am.
There are three components of the looking glass self. Cooley thought we gain a sense of who we are by observing our own. The looking glass self is a concept drawn originally from the work of george herbert mead, encapsulating the idea that our self image the mental idea we have of who and how we are is shaped by our interactions with others. Therefore, this research explored the relationships between. Pdf marginalized through the looking glass self the. Sociological theory department of sociology and anthropology umd. Nov 7, 2014 this board will discuss the concept of how our self image is a reflection of how we believe other people see us. The looking glass self was not a theory that was presented, became a vital step in socialization, and then went away. They will watch film clips and respond to them on one of the handouts. Core concepts in sociology, in the lookingglass self a person views himself or herself through others social perceptions and in turn gains identity. The lookingglass self theory helps us understand how our selfimage is developed, and this quizworksheet combo will help test your understanding of it and its components. In this theory, people develop a sense of who they are and what to think of themselves by watching the reactions of the people in their primary group as well as those they meet throughout their lives.
Based on likes, comments or followers the sense of a self develops. In a very large and interesting class of cases the social reference takes the form of a somewhat definite imagination of how ones selfthat is, any idea he. The lookingglass self is a social psychological concept, created by charles horton cooley in 1902, stating that a persons self grows out of societys. We imagine how we appear to others, we imagine the judgment of that appearance, and we develop our self identity. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The looking glass self charles horton cooley duration. Describe charles cooleys theory of the lookingglass self explain the three concepts that relate to the development of selfimage to unlock this lesson you must be a member. This idea states that ones identity is the result of interpersonal interactions.
The concept of the l ooking glass self demonstrates that selfrelation, or how one views oneself is not a solitary phenomenon, but rather includes others. Third, people have an emotional reaction to that imagined judgment, such as. Sociologist charles cooley, in an excerpt of his writings included in spencer cahills inside social life. The paper discusses cooleys classic metaphor of the lookingglassself. According to cooley, the individual comes to know or define himself through the process of internalizing his perceptions of how he thinks others, especially significant. He noted the reflexive self consciousness of our experience, how we. In 1902, a sociologist named charles horton cooley devised a concept called the lookingglass self, which posits that s persons sense of identity is shaped by interaction with social groups and the ways in which the individual thinks he or she is perceived by others. The theoretical intersection of the lookingglassself and social. This lesson guides them through it by encouraging them to relate it to their own lives. I have read the lookingglass self with delight and instruction.
The theoretical intersection of the lookingglassself and. Second, they imagine how others judge them based on that appearance. The idea behind the lookingglass theory, or lookingglass self, was created by charles horton cooley 1902. Meads theory of self and cooleys looking glass self. The concept disregards the existing differences between the groups of people in the society, implying that people overlook their likes. The looking glass self is a social psychological concept stating that a persons self grows out of societys interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. We studied the sociologist charles cooleys theory of the looking glass self. How students imagine people are judging them in order to find out and this is what we found we found students try to imagine how they will be judged before they post anything. Understanding charles cooleys looking glass self tim. Identity, or self, is the result of the concept in which we learn to. There are three components of the lookingglass self. Looking glass self, me myself and i, self and other, study. Through the looking glass of telecopresent others shanyang zhao temple university the impact of others in telecopresence on the formation of self has not been well studied, and existing research on the self in cyberspace has focused mostly on. We see ourselves through the eyes of other people, even to the extent of incorporating their views of us into our own selfconcept.
Horton cooley published in 1902 and the idea of social penetration of i. The lookingglass self sociologists have a theory of the lookingglass self. Special emphasis is given to the pragmatics of speech acts, the presentation of self in interaction rituals, the accounts given by actors in justification of their actions, and the role of social norms and conformity in the largescale. The lookingglass self is a social psychological concept stating that a persons self grows out of societys interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others.
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