Explain the key components of the human development theories of Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead, and evaluate the contribution of each to our understanding of the socialization process

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Charles Horton Cooley used the concept of the looking-glass self to describe how the self emerges. According to Cooley, the looking-glass self refers to the way in which a person's sense of self is derived from the perceptions of others. Our looking-glass self is based on our perception of how other people think of us. The looking-glass self is a self-concept derived from a three-step process:

(1) We imagine how our personality and appearance will look to other people. (2) We imagine how other people judge the appearance and personality that we think we present. (3) We develop a self-concept.

George Herbert Mead extended Cooley's insights by linking the idea of self-concept to role-taking. According to Mead, role-taking is the process by which a person mentally assumes the role of another person or group in order to understand the world from that person's or group's point of view. Role-taking often occurs through play and games, as children try out different roles (such as being mommy, daddy, doctor, or teacher) and gain an appreciation of them. First, people come to take the role of the other (role-taking). By taking the roles of others, the individual hopes to ascertain the intention or direction of the acts of others. Then the person begins to construct his or her own roles (role-making) and to anticipate other individuals' responses. Finally, the person plays at her or his particular role (role-playing).