Chapter two was interesting on many fronts as we got to hear
a number of different philosophies on pragmatist view on the self. It was helpful to read and get different
perspectives on such a topic. The most
interesting part of the chapter to me was the part that talked about G. H. Mead
and his ideas about the social self. The
book best sums up Mead’s perspective by stating, “Mead’s central concern,
therefore, was the relationship between the activity of the social group and
the formation of the individual self, and, more specifically, the role of the
tools that humans have invented in evolution and social history-such as
symbols, signs and language which mediate and direct their joint activities, and
form self-identities” (p. 37). Mead was
big on symbols and used an example about boxers being able to counter punch
each other based on body language and gestures.
He believed that self-conscious emerged from social activities and such
ideas were different than what had been previously written on the topic.
Mead thought that we can get a “sense of the self only as we
become social objects to other people, as we become ‘mes’”(p. 38). Facebook and other social media outlets help
make us social objects. People are able
to get a view into our lives and see what is going on. To counter that, we can see how people
interpret us and get our own understanding on the self. This was a fun chapter.
SCbaseball,
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting chapter. I like that you chose to focus on Mead’s perspective about the social self. By becoming social objects, we are allowing others to see us without having to physically see us. It allows them to know where we are, who we are with, and lets them know what we are doing. Facebook gives us the opportunity to be more open about ourselves than we might not normally be. We can share what we like, pictures, comment on other peoples post, who we might not normally talk too.