Sociologists

When we are born into this world we do not know a thing. We are unable to help ourselves and do not understand anything. We are unable to communicate. Overtime, however, we develop our self, which is "the unique human capacity of being able to see ourselves Ð''from the outside'; and the views we internalize of how others see us" (Henslin pg 68). Many theorists have come up with ways in which human beings develop the sense of self. Three theory's which I have learned about are the; Looking-glass self, taking the role of the other, and the ability to reason. These theories were developed by three great theorists, Cooley, Mead, and Piaget.

Charles Horton Cooley, born in Ann, Arbor, Michigan, went to school at the University of Michigan. After earning his Ph.D. in 1894 he then began teaching at the university. Cooley said, "Our sense of self develops from interaction with others." He then used the term "looking-glass self" "to refer to the process by which our self develops through internalizing others' reactions to us" (Henslin pg 68). This looking-glass self process contains three elements. They are: (1) we imagine how we appear to those around us. (2) We interpret others' reactions. (3) We develop a self-concept. Cooley does not limit this process to just childhood or adulthood. It is an ongoing process. We do this every day. Whether we are a child trying to make friends or a grown up at a party trying to spark conversation, we are always curious how we appear to others around us.

George Herbert Mead, born in South Hadley, Massachusetts, attended Oberlin College. From there he went on to teach at the University of Chicago. Mead believes that play is crucial to a child's development of self. He says that taking the role of the other helps "understand how someone else feels and thinks thus anticipating how that person will act" (Henslin pg 68). This theory also has three stages to it. The first is imitation, the second is play, and the third is games. When children are young, under the age of 3, they usually mimic other people. These young children are unaware of what they are doing and do not have a sense of self yet. That is why this is not part of role taking. As the child grows older they begin to play. They role play and pretend to be nurses, doctors, secretaries, even cartoons such as superman. They feel the difference when they role play. So it is like they understand someone else's feelings. When they pretend to be superman they have a huge role to play. They know they have to save people and have a huge job to burden. Being involved in games allows a child to be aware of the positioning of others. They need to be able to do more than one role and know the roles of others.

Jean Paiget, born in NeuchÐ"Ñžtel, Switzerland, developed the idea that children go through four stages to develop their ability to reason. The first stage is the sensorimotor stage, the second is the preoperational stage, the third is the concrete