mead

George Herbert Mead

Sociologist who focused on interaction, meaning, the self, symbols, and role-taking.

Pragmatism

The approach of judging ideas or actions partly by what actually works in practice.

Impulse → Perception → Manipulation → Consummation

Mead's sequence describing how humans respond to situations and objects through action.

Sign

Something that communicates or represents meaning.

Significant Symbol

A symbol whose meaning is shared because people understand the response it is intended to produce.

Social Object

An object whose meaning develops through social interaction.

Emergent Meaning

The idea that meaning develops through interaction rather than existing entirely beforehand.

Role-Taking

Imagining or taking the perspective of another person.

Role-Making

Actually performing or creating behavior within a social role.

I

Mead's spontaneous, unsocialized aspect of the self.

Me

Mead's socialized aspect of the self that reflects social expectations.

Generalized Other

The internalized expectations and attitudes of the broader social group or community.

Reference Group

A person or group used as a point of comparison for evaluating oneself or one's behavior.

I vs. Me

The I acts spontaneously, while the Me reflects the socialized self and social expectations.