INTERACTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE OF EDUCATION
BY C. H. COOLEY
CONTENTS
§ BRIEF LIFE SKATCH OF C. H. COOLEY
§ INTERACTIONISM
§ LOOKING GLASS SELF THEORY
§ CONCLUSION
v BRIEF LIFE SKATCH OF C. H. COOLEY
Charles Horton Cooley was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in
September 7, 1864, to Mary Elizabeth Horton and Michigan Supreme Court Justice
Thomas M. Cooley. He was the fourth of six children.
Cooley graduated from
University of Michigan in 1887, and continued with a year's training in
mechanical engineering at the same school. In 1888, he returned for a Master's
degree in political economics, with a minor in sociology. He began teaching
economics and sociology at the University in the fall of 1892. Cooley went on
to receive a PhD in 1894. His doctoral thesis was The Theory of Transportation
in economics. He began teaching sociology in the academic year of 1894-95.
He believed that the
mind is social, that society is a mental construct, and that the moral unity of
society derives from face-to-face relationships in primary groups such as the
family and neighborhood. In Human Nature and the Social Order (1902), he
referred to this form of social reference as "the looking glass
self." Cooley's other works include Social Organization (1909) and Social
Process (1918).
“One should never
criticize his own work except in a fresh and hopeful mood. The self-criticism
of a tired mind is suicide”.
Charles Horton Cooley
v INTERACTIONISM
There are many
subjects to be studied and discussed in the field of Sociology, and the
approach chosen to study a particular subject is called a perspective. There are three different perspectives, and
they are functionalist, conflict, and interactions perspectives.
Integrationist perspective focuses on the way
that small groups act, in order to understand society as a whole. Interactionists study people in their
everyday behavior and how they react to their surroundings. Such surroundings may include material
things, actions, other people, and symbols.
George Herbert Mead is most often credited with founding the
interactionist perspective, but Charles Horton Cooley also shared Mead's views. The interactionist view of society is
that we influence each other's everyday social interactions. In contrast to functionalist and conflict
perspectives, the interactionist perspective studies society on a micro sociological
level. In other words they study on a
small scale in order to understand the large scale. Interactionists believe that an individual
creates their own social world through his or her interactions, and it is
thought that social order is maintained when people share their understanding
of everyday behavior. Interactionists
say that social change occurs when the positions and communication with one
another change.
v LOOKING SELF GLASS
THEORY
The looking-glass
self is a popular theory within the sociological field known as symbolic
interactionism. It explains a formation of self-image via reflection. The term "looking glass
self" was first used by Cooley in his work, Human Nature and the Social
Order in 1902. In looking-glass self a person views himself or herself through
others' perceptions in society and in turn gains identity.
The looking-glass
self begins at an early age and continues throughout the entirety of a person’s
life as one will never stop modifying their self unless all social interactions
are ceased. According to Cooley, "the
mind is mental" because "the human mind is social." Beginning as
children, humans begin to define themselves within the context of their
socializations. The child
learns that the symbol of his/her crying will elicit a response from his/her
parents, not only when they are in need of necessities such as food, but also
as a symbol to receive their attention. The words "good" or "bad"
only hold relevance after one learns the connotation and societal meaning of
the words.
When people receive a
negative or condescending response to their appearance from a variety of
persons they might socialize with, they might begin to view themselves as less
physically attractive or appealing. When they receive a positive or encouraging
response to jokes or comedy, they become more apt to engage in these social
behaviors or to take pride in their verbal skills.
In this way, people
are directly influenced and in some cases entirely built up around the
reflections of themselves that they see in others.
The medium used to
express these feelings, especially in the earliest stages of development, is
the realm of symbolic interaction. Not all cues are verbal, but a simple frown or
looks of amusement are all symbols which bear greater social meanings.
There are three main
components of the looking-glass self.
§ We
imagine how we must appear to others.
· We
imagine the judgment of that appearance.
· We
develop our self through the judgments of others.
C.H. Cooley, "The thing that moves us to
pride or shame is not the mere mechanical reflection of ourselves, but an
imputed sentiment, the imagined effect of this reflection upon another's
mind."
The looking glass
self is directly related to self-awareness; indeed, self-awareness may be said
to be formed via the process of undergoing the process coined by Cooley.
The concept is
somewhat related to the psychological concept of projection; human beings
interpret the reactions of others that they socialize with in regards to
appearance, speech, mannerisms (all symbols) and project these interpretations
unto themselves.
One's self-awareness
is thus heavily influenced by these social responses, and to some degree
persons become reflections of what they see projected unto them by others –
a summation of the symbolic interactions and exchanges between their selves and
"the other."
v CONCLUSION
The looking glass
self is directly related to self-awareness; indeed, self-awareness may be said
to be formed via the process of undergoing the process coined by Cooley.
The concept is
somewhat related to the psychological concept of projection; human beings
interpret the reactions of others that they socialize with in regards to
appearance, speech, mannerisms (all symbols) and project these interpretations
unto themselves.
One's self-awareness
is thus heavily influenced by these social responses, and to some degree
persons become reflections of what they see projected unto them by others.
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