Chapter 5.

2 The Social Self

 Through interaction
with their social and
cultural environments,
people are transformed
into participating
members of their
society.
Socialization
 Socialization
 The interactive process through which people learn
 Basic skills
 Values
 Beliefs
 Behavior patterns of a society

 Within socialization, a person develops a sense of

self
 Conscious awareness of possessing a distinct identity
that separates you from other members of society.
Theories of Socialization
 John Locke
 English philosophe from
the 1600’s.
 Insisted each newly born
human being is a tabula
rasa
 “blank slate”
 No personality
 Newborns could be
molded into anything with
training.
Theories of Socialization
 Charles H. Cooley
 Developed idea of
looking glass self
 The interactive process by
which we develop an
image of ourselves based
on how we imagine we
appear to others.

 Ex: Other people act as a

mirror reflecting back the
image we see with their
reactions.
 Fear = ugliness
Looking Glass Theory
 3 steps

 We imagine how we appear to others.

 Based on the other’s reactions, we attempt to

determine whether they view us as we see
ourselves.

 We use our perceptions of how others judge us to

develop feelings about ourselves.
Theories of Socialization
 George Herbert Meade
 Believed that we not only see ourselves as others
see us, but actually take on the roles of others.
 Called role-taking
 Socialization process that allows a person to anticipate
what others expect of us.
 EX: being a good person around grandma!
 You do so because she is a good person!
Meade’s “generalized other”
 Mead says a person first
individualizes significant
others
 Mom
 Dad
 Sister
 Brother

 As we grow older
 People internalize attitudes,
expectations, and
viewpoints of society
 Generalized other
Three Stages of Role-Taking
 Children develop skills that are necessary in order to role-take
through social interaction

 1 month – 3 years
 Children lack sense of self.
 Therefore, they can only imitate the action of others.

 3 -5 years
 Children learn to play and act out roles
 Can play “house” or role play

 After 5 years
 Children can play games with specific rules
 Children can anticipate actions of others
 Children can outmaneuver other players
The “I” in “Me”
 “I”
 The unsocialized, spontaneous, self-interested
component of personality.
 Very large role in children

 “Me”
 The part of our self that is aware of the
expectations and attitudes of society.
 Very large role in adults