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George Herbert Mead

"The self has the characteristic that it is an object to itself, and that characteristic distinguishes it from other objects and from the body." -George H. Mead

In conclusion, George Mead's theories emphasize the connection between the individual and the community and how this connection make's social interaction crucial to understanding human life.

Sociology

Early Life

Contributions to the Social Sciences

-Sociology is the study of development, structure and functioning of human society

-It is a very broad discipline that examines how humans interact with each other and how human behavior is shaped by social structures (communities, organizations), social categories (age, sex, race, etc.), and social institutions (religion, schools etc.).

-The basic foundation is the belief that a person's attitudes and actions are shaped by all of these aspects of society.

-Therefore, sociologists study the ways in which these social structures, categories and institutions influence human behavior.

- The areas of study within Sociology include family, deviance and crime, demography, education, religion, and many more.

-Born February 27, 1863 in South Hadley, Massachusetts

-As a child, he took life more seriously than other kids

-His intelligence allowed him to enter Oberlin College in 1879 at the age of 16 and graduate with a Bachelors degree in 1883

- His father soon died and he became increasingly unhappy with the way he was living his life so with the influence of a friend, he decided to try something different and attend Harvard University in 1887.

_There he graduated with a Masters in Philosophy

1. Developed the social theory based on Pragmatism, which is "a reasonable and logical way of doing things or of thinking about problems that is based on dealing with specific situations instead of on ideas and theories." (Merriam Webster)

2. Developed the idea of mind, self and society, which later became known as social behaviorism

3. Defined 3 activities through which the self was developed- Language, Play and Game

4. Developed the idea of the Generalized Other. "Generalized Other is what allows us to understand other peoples’ perspectives and how the rules of society work. Organized role playing is essential to the formation of a mature sense of self."

Mead also developed the Theory of the Self: "I" vs. "Me"; which is briefly

explained in this video.

-Their main method of research is statistical analysis

http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/meads-theory-of-self-and-cooleys-looking-glass-sel

How did Mead Further The Discipline of Sociology

Criticisms of Mead's Theories

Validity of His Research and Theories to Contemporary Social Issues

  • Symbolic interactionism has been criticized for being too vague of a concept, explaining only general behaviors and ignoring psychological factors
  • No scientific basis to support his theories
  • His theories are unable to explain large scale influences on society
  • Helped develop the idea of Pragmatism
  • Developed the idea of Social Behaviorism
  • Changed the way the world viewed the development of ones personality
  • His use of language play and games helped to explain how we come to be ourselves. As infants grow older, they learn to take on the role of other persons, which means they can see their own actions from the points of view of other persons
  • He outlined the importance of Society and others defining oneself through various forms of play
  • He outlined the importance of communication in developing our self
  • His attention to symbols and interaction direction sociologists to the in-depth study of the social meanings that people construct in everyday life. From there, Sociologists developed a term called "symbolic interactionism" that emphasizes the importance in using symbols to communicate in social interaction
  • Helped today's society look at the effects of our environmental surroundings on the development of individuals. Where and what we surround ourselves with influences the way we act and think.
  • Helps today's society understand the effects that technology is having and will continue to have on the youth in our society -ie. violent video games which can lead to aggressive behavior in the future
  • Today we now understand the role society has on explaining human behavior. -ie. reasoning behind terrorist attacks (what they were brought up to believe)
  • Mead's theories drew attention to the importance of language (verbal and physical gestures) to the development of the individual.

Who is George Herbert Mead?

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