The Social Self

1
Chapter 5

• Section 2

2
The Social Self

• Socialization is the process through which people
  learn the basic skills, values, beliefs, and
  behavior patterns of a society.
• Your self is your conscious awareness of
  possessing a distinct identity that separates you
  and your environment from other members of
  society.

3
Locke The Tabula Rasa

• Locke thought every newborn is a clean slate
  without a personality.
• Our social experiences create our personalities.
• He said that he could shape any childs
  personality to be what he wanted it to be.

4
Cooley The Looking-Glass Self

• He said we develop an image of ourselves bases on
  how we imagine we appear to others.
• First we imagine how we appear to others.
• Second we attempt to determine whether others
  view us as we view ourselves.
• Finally we use how others judge us to develop
  feelings about ourselves.

5
Meade Role-Taking

• Role-taking is beyond Cooley in that we take the
  role of what people expect of us.
• Early on we use significant others to help us
  develop our role.
• Later in life we use generalized others.
• Early on the I is stronger than the me. Later we
  find a balance between the two.