Sociology: Lesson 2

LESSON 2
SOCIOLOGY
Learning Objectives :
By the end of three hours, you should be able to:
understand the impact of society in the construction of the self
interpret Mead’s theory of self in terms of the difference between
“I” and “me.”
What is Sociology?
Is the study of science that examines society and the different cultures. It is a
branch of social science that studies the roles, importance, problems of society and
the ability of people to interact with others. It focuses on how different aspects of
society contribute to an individuals relationship with his world. It tends to look
outward (social institutions, cultural norms, interactions with others) to
understand human behaviour.
Importance
Help us evaluate social and public policies.
Investigate and understand social crises.
To better understand ourselves and our social world.
Problems
Poverty – not having enough money to meet basic needs and including foods,
clothing and shelter.
Unemployment – refers to a situation where a person actively searches for
employment but is unable to find work.
Unequal Opportunity – the unfair situation in society when some
people have more opportunities, money, etc. than others.
Racism – discrimination by an individual against a person on
the basis of their beliefs, membership, etc.
Malnutrition – lack of proper nutrition, cause by not having
enough to eat, not eating enough of the right thing.
Interact of People
In sociology, social interaction is a dynamic sequence of social actions
between individuals or groups. Social interactions can be differentiated
into accidental, repeated, regular, and regulated.
Cooley and the Looking-Glass Self Theory
Charles Horton Cooley

American sociology.
Born on August 17 1864
Died on May 8 1929
One of the pioneer contributors to sociological perspectives was

Charles Horton Cooley. He asserted that people’s self-understanding
is constructed, in part, by their perception of how others view them.
People's Self - Understanding is constructed, in a part, by their
perception of how others view them a process termed " The looking
glass self "
The people you interact with become your " mirror "
3 Steps
We imagine how we appear to others.
We imagine the judgment of that
appearance.
We develop our self ( identity) through of
others
The self as a product of modern society among other constructions
Now let us start exploring the “self” as a social construction. The classical sociological perspective
of the self holds that the self is a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are or our identity in
relation to ourselves, others, and the social world. Our self is socially constructed in the sense that it
is shaped through our interaction with other people.
The sociological theories of the self try to explain how social processes such as socialization
influence the development of the self. Socialization is the process of learning one’s culture and how
to live within it. In other words, it is the process whereby an individual learns to adjust to a group
and behave in a way that is approved by the group.
Through socialization, we develop our personalities and potentialities with the influence of our
culture and society. As with socialization in general, we are not passive participants in this process
but rather, have a powerful influence over how this process develops and its circumstances. The
person can also be an agent of socialization.
The self is constructed based on social roles through socialization agents (family, school,
community, etc.). How people understand their sense of selves is closely tied to how they
understand the world around them or their relationship with others.
The Agents of Socialization:
Socialization helps us learn to function successfully in their social worlds. This learning takes place
through interaction with the various agents of socialization, like our families and peer groups, plus
both formal and informal social institutions, like schools and clubs. Socialization is believed to be a
life-long process, and it begins in our families.
Parents, grandparents, siblings - whoever you were living with when you were young, is pretty
much your entire social world. Your family is the source of what is known as primary socialization -
your first experiences with language, beliefs and values, behaviors, and norms of your society. As
you grow older, secondary socialization takes place. This is the process through which children
become socialized outside the home, within society at large.
This often starts at school. School becomes not just a place for academic subjects,
but also for learning about interacting with different kinds of people. One of the
most influential agents on the development of the self during school-age is the
peer group.
As we get older, our peer group has a massive impact on the socialization process.
The media we engage with are absolutely a part of our socialization.
Television and the internet are huge parts of our lives and definitely have impacts
on the development of our “self” Other agents of socialization include clubs and
teams, religious groups, workplaces,
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
Born : February 27, 1863 in South Hadley,
Massachusetts .
Died in April 26, 1931
George Herbert was an American Philosopher,
Sociologist, and
Psychologist.
George Herbert Mead is a well-known sociologist for his theory of the social self.
It is based on the perspective that the self emerges from social interactions, such as
observing and interacting with others, responding about others opinions’ about oneself, and
internalizing them together with one’s feelings about oneself.
He believed that people develop self-images through interactions with other people.
He argued that the self, which is the part of a person’s personality consisting of self-
awareness and self image, is a product of social experience.
The two most important roots of Mead’s work, and of

symbolic interactionism in general, are the
philosophy of pragmatism and social behaviorism.
Mead believed that as we grow up, our beliefs about other people perceive us start to
become more important.
Mead thought that this happens through 3 different stages :
1. Preparatory Stage - children interact with others through imitation.

2. Play Stage - children start to become more aware of the importance of social relationships.
3. Game Stage - childrens' understanding of social interaction become even more developed.
The self: "me" and "I"

Mead believed that this understanding led to development of his concept of the
"I" and the "me".
Mead, the "me" is our social self, and the "I" is our response to the "me".
The "me" is how we believe the generalized other sees us and what we
learn through interactions with others. On the other hand, the "I" thinks
about what those things mean.
We can also look at the "me" as society's view and then the "I" as the individual
identity stepping in, on our personal responses to what society thinks.
Even though we see these two parts as conflicting, for Mead, who are our
actual self is the balance of the "I" and the "me".

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LESSON 2

Cooley and the Looking-Glass Self Theory

Charles Horton Cooley

One of the pioneer contributors to sociological perspectives was

The Agents of Socialization:

The two most important roots of Mead’s work, and of

Mead thought that this happens through 3 different stages :

1. Preparatory Stage - children interact with others through imitation.

The self: "me" and "I"

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