A subtle but critical aspect of Cooley's theory (looking-glass self) is that the self results from an individual's "imagination" of how others view him or her. 8.
What is the Looking-Glass Self Theory?
One popular and useful theory described here is the looking-glass self theory. Charles Horton Cooley introduced the concept of looking -glass self. According to him, individuals understand their selves by observing how others perceive or think of them. Social interaction has a bigger impact than we imagine.
What is Cooley’s Looking Glass theory?
Introduction The looking glass self-theory by Charles Horton Cooley (1922) is one of the most influential concepts in symbolic interactionism. It can be defined as a person’s mental representation of their personality. It is derived from the way a person thinks that others perceive them.
What is an example of the Looking Glass theory?
Some examples of the looking glass self-theory include: Human beings want to make a good impression on others. A person’s identity is based on other people’s opinions, and an individual will do their best to be accepted by others. People might tend to be more concerned with their appearance and attractiveness than other things.
What does Goffman say about the Looking-Glass Self?
Although Goffman never explicitly mentions the looking-glass self, Goffman, like Cooley, focused on embarrassment as a social emotion (Scheff, 2005). Here, Goffman uses the imagery of theatre to draw comparison to the nuances of social interaction. The resulting theory of social interaction is called the dramaturgical model of social life.
What is Cooley's theory of the looking-glass self?
The looking-glass self describes the process wherein individuals base their sense of self on how they believe others view them. Using social interaction as a type of “mirror,” people use the judgments they receive from others to measure their own worth, values, and behavior.
Is the looking-glass self accurate?
Looking-Glass Self History and Modern Usage The looking-glass self theory is controversial for two reasons. First, this view supposes that people have a good idea of how significant others see them. Psychological research reveals that people's beliefs about how others see them are not very accurate.
What are some examples of the looking-glass self?
For example, on a dance floor, many people who see themselves as “good” dancers may in fact be perceived as “bad” dancers, but will nonetheless react as if they are good dancers. While individuals' self-image are shaped by others, this only happens through the mediation of their own minds.
What is Cooley's theory on the development of the self?
Cooley's theory of self is one in which we learn who we are through our interactions with others. This is known as the looking glass self. This basically means that our self-image comes from our own self-reflection and from what others think of us.
Which statement summarizes the main idea of the looking-glass self?
Humans are born with the capacity to develop a self, but the self must be socially constructed; that is, its contents depend on social interaction. According to Charles Horton Cooley's concept of the looking glass self, our self develops as we internalize other's reactions to us.
What is the result of the looking-glass self process?
The result is that individuals will change their behavior based on what they feel other people think about them, even if not necessarily true. In this way, social interaction acts as a "mirror" or a "looking-glass," since one's sense of self and self esteem is built off of others.
What are the 3 main components of the looking-glass self?
Cooley distinguished three “principal elements” of the looking-glass self: “the imagination of our appearance to the other person; the imagination of his [sic] judgment of that appearance; and some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification.” Much of the time, Cooley thought, our experience of self is an ...
What are the 3 stages to the looking-glass self?
Charles Horton Cooley's concept of the “looking-glass self” involves three steps that are beneficial to understand the self and society today: (1) how we imagine we appear to others, (2) how we imagine others' thoughts or judgments on how we appear, and (3) whether or not we change our appearance or behavior based on ...
What does the concept of the looking-glass self help explain quizlet?
"The Looking Glass self"- a reflective process based on our interpretations of the reactions of others. This theory explains self-development because we experience feelings such as pride or shame based on this imaged judgment & respond based on our interpretation.
What are the consequences of having a distorted looking glass?
Distorted looking glass is just as real as any because every looking glass is part of our imagination. So, consequences of distorted looking glass are the same as of accurate looking glass.
Who proposed looking-glass self theory?
Charles CooleyCharles Cooley- Looking glass self.
What did Charles Cooley believe?
Cooley believed that social reality was qualitatively different from physical reality and was therefore less amenable to measurement. Because of this view, he was more productive as a social theorist than as a research scientist.
How does Cooley explain the concept of primary group?
Cooley's distinction between primary and secondary groups, set forth in his Human Nature and the Social Order (1902). “Primary group” refers to those personal relations that are direct, face-to-face, relatively permanent, and intimate, such as the relations in a family, a group of close friends, and the like.…
What did Cooley mean when he described society as an organism?
What did Cooley mean when he described society as an organism? That society is a system of interrelations between all parts of society and social processes. The theory of the looking-glass self states that. Our self-image comes from our own self-reflection and from what others think of us.
How do you use looking-glass self in a sentence?
The study identified the looking glass self as a metaperception because it involves perception of perceptions.
What does the Thomas theorem state?
The well-known “Thomas theorem” in sociology is defined as follows: “if men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences” (Thomas and Thomas, The child in America, Knopf, Oxford, 1928, p. 572).
How does looking glass self work?
The concept of looking glass self and its importance can also be seen through the growing social media. They act as the mirror to people where they seek for judgments and feedbacks from other people.
What is the reflection of what we think we appear in front of others?
It can be explained as the reflection of what we think we appear in front of others or how we are viewed and conceived by others. Cooley used the term to explain the process of socialization. He viewed that the concept of self or one’s sense of identity comes not only from our direct contemplation of oneself, or the personal qualities ...
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Charles Cooley's Looking-Glass Self
The term looking-glass self, first introduced by Charles Cooley (1902), refers to the dependence of one’s social self or social identity on one’s appearance to others.
Symbolic Interactionism and The Looking-Glass Self
The concept of the looking-glass self is associated with a school of sociology known as symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theory that focuses on the meanings attached to individual human interactions as well as symbols.
Examples
A number of researchers have examined the looking-glass self in the context of virtual environments. Martey and Consalvo (2011), for example, studied the avatar appearances and subsequent behavior of 211 individuals in a roleplaying video game where players could create virtually any type of avatar as a means of expressing self-identity.
Critical Evaluation
Research has consistently supported Cooley’s idea that people act based upon the perceptions they have of how others perceive them, rather than their actual responses.
What is the looking glass self theory?
The looking glass self-theory by Charles Horton Cooley (1922) is one of the most influential concepts in symbolic interactionism. It can be defined as a person’s mental representation of their personality. It is derived from the way a person thinks that others perceive them. The looking glass self-theory is an example of self-concept theory.
Who said the looking glass self is based on assumptions?
The concept of the looking-glass self is based on several assumptions, as stated by Cooley Charles.
What Role Does Social Media Play in The Looking Glass Self Theory?
It is commonly used for entertainment purposes, such as playing games or watching videos. People are also likely to stay in touch with friends and family on social media to promote a feeling of connectedness.
How are looking glass self theory and symbolic interaction similar?
For instance, they both deal with the way people behave in a social setting. They look at how people represent themselves to other people and the way they react to one another.
What is the view of a person shaped by the way they believe that other people see them?
A person can understand their personality in relation to others, and this is called a looking glass self.
Why are people so concerned about their image?
People are highly concerned with their image as it affects their self-esteem, self-identity, and happiness.
Who expanded Mead's theory?
Later in the 20th century, Mead’s theories were expanded by Charles Horton Cooley. He added that people tend to imitate others and model their behavior after them in a social setting. Furthermore, he stated that we tend to have a positive opinion about ourselves, which might be the way we see ourselves in the eyes of others.
What did Cooley do?
Cooley eventually moved his sight to studying the “organization of society at large.”. His ideas came to “undergird much of 20th century sociology.”. He created the idea of how primary groups — parents, siblings, play groups, elders — are the foremost force in developing a person’s character. He is also known for the concept ...
What degree did Charles Cooley get?
(Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library) After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1887, Charles Horton Cooley earned a master’s degree in economics at U-M and started working at the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Charles Cooley's Looking-Glass Self
- The term looking-glass self, first introduced by Charles Cooley (1902), refers to the dependence of one’s social self or social identity on one’s appearance to others. The ideas and feelings that people have about themselves — their self-concept or self image— are developed in response to their perception and internalization of how others perceive ...
Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
- Another prominent and influential account of the self in sociology comes from Erving Goffman’s “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” (1959). Although Goffman never explicitly mentions the looking-glass self, Goffman, like Cooley, focused on embarrassment as a social emotion (Scheff, 2005). Here, Goffman uses the imagery of theatre to draw comparison to the nuances of social i…
Mead’s Conceptualization of Looking-Glass Self
- George Herberrt Mead's conception of socialization elaborated on Cooley’s foundation. Mead argued that the self involves two phases: the “Me” and the “I.” The Me is based on how someone sees others as seeing themself, while the I is one’s personal reaction to a situation. Someone forms their social self through an ongoing interaction between the Me and the I (McIntyre, 1998)…
Symbolic Interactionism and The Looking-Glass Self.
- The concept of the looking-glass self is associated with a school of sociology known as symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theory that focuses on the meanings attached to individual human interactions as well as symbols. In the context of symbolic interactionism, humans define themselves in the context of their social interactions from the tim…
Critical Evaluation
- Research has consistently supported Cooley’s idea that people act based upon the perceptions they have of how others perceive them, rather than their actual responses. Felson (1981, 1985) studied a series of football players and primary-school students and found that the relationship between the perceived responses of others and the actual responses of others was reciprocal. …