According to Mead, the self (that is, self-consciousness) develops through two cognitive stages: “play” and the “game.” The play stage is marked by the ability to assume the attitude of only one particular individual at a time. The next phase of development is the game stage. Here, the child is able to move beyond simply taking the role of particular others and assume the roles of multiple others simultaneously. Moreover, the child has the ability to control his actions on the basis of abstract “rules of the game.”