M6A1 Project 3B: Mead's Concepts of Self and Society

M6A1: PROJECT 3B
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Mead’s Concepts of self and society
Mead has made a great contribution to contemporary philosophy and has redefined how individuals and society perceive each other and interact thereof. Mead’s approach to the contemporary theory of symbolic interaction is scientific and philosophical thus making him pass compelling arguments on his opinions about the central theoretical influences of his work; behaviorism, pragmatism, and evolutionism. In social psychology, his arguments and opinions place him within the discourse of introspectionism and behaviorismCITATION Cor02 \p 4 \l 1033 (Waal, 2002, p. 4). Throughout Mead’s works, his compelling arguments on the definition of the mind, self and society have revolutionized and revamped the philosophical field. He has coined the definition of mind from its relation and dependence with its ulterior factors that determine the outcome of thought. He has also coined the definition of self and society and their inextricable relationship that craft the human behavior. It is about his works that in this essay, I am going to critically analyze the concepts of self and society as depicted by Mead and if symbolic interactionism can be used to explain the impact of TV, media and video games in the development of self.
Mead's work focuses on the process of formation and development of self. Social self, as defined by Mead, depends on the point of view that the self raises out of social interactions, i.e., interactions with others, one’s perception of himself/herself, and internalizing external opinions and internal feelings about oneself CITATION Geo09 \l 1033 (Mead, 2009). The social aspect of self fronted by Mead revolutionized philosophical definitions of self. Most classical sociologists founded their definitions, ideas, opinions, and perception of self on biological and inherited traitsCITATION Bry99 \p 238 \l 1033 (Turner, 1999, p. 238). Mead, however, contrary to their opinions, asserted that self is not synonymous to birth or other acquired traits, but it is formed and developed over time by social experiences and activities surrounding the individual. According to Mead, a child’s self is non-existent at birth, but it is gradually developed by being receptive to experiences and conscious of the activities within its environment that build it. He fronted several ways in which the self is developed and construed to react to the environment and experiences around the life of the child.
Mead asserts that language is one of the key elements that help humans develop self. Self, develops by allowing individuals to respond to each other through and convey opinions and attitudes towards a subject or person. Language encodes a message to another individual through symbols, words sounds and gestures to help him/her form a mental representation of the message to understand the meaning. Play also plays an integral part in the formation of self through allowing individuals to assume different roles CITATION Geo09 \l 1033 (Mead, 2009). Through role playing, one’s self-consciousness develops and the person can internalize the perspective of ...