Writing Out Loud: Self

Mead suggests that the self emerges through social interaction, particularly when we are able to take on the roles and perspectives of others--that is, to see ourselves through their eyes. Please answer the following questions when you complete the reading.

Theme: Rise of the Avatar

Questions

  1. What do you think Mead means when he writes that the self is  “an object to itself”?
  2. What is the “generalized other,” and why is it important in the development of the self?
  3. According to Mead, the last stage of the development of the self comes when we are able to take on the attitudes and expectations of the broader social world. What role might mass media play in developing the self?
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