Chapter 7: George Herbert Mead - The Emergent Self

George Herbert Mead was born on February 17, 1863, in South Hadley, Massachusetts
Background:
- Father: clergyman
- Mother: well educated
Childhood spent at Oberlin College, Ohio, where his father held an appointment
- Benefited from progressive education
Post-graduate studies at Harvard under William James
Studied philosophy in Germany, met Stanley Hall, which sparked his interest in psychology
Major contribution to sociology, particularly in social psychology

Mead was a leading figure in the Chicago School, which included John Dewey, W. I. Thomas, and Robert Park
Characteristics of the Chicago School:
- Pragmatic philosophy
- Commitment to social reform
- Democratic ideas
Chicago as a laboratory for sociology, with a focus on the belief that sociology can aid society through knowledge-based action

Mead's views are contrasted with behaviorism, which suggested humans are reactive creatures responding to stimuli
Behaviorism's limitations:
- Declared mental life as a black box, unobservable and scientifically irrelevant
Mead's perspective:
- Humans are thoughtful and reflective
- Identities and actions emerge from interactions with others and language

Mead proposed the concept of reflexivity in human behavior
- Humans think before acting, particularly in significant activities
Significant gestures:
- The capacity to use and respond to language, symbols, and thoughts
- Actions are shaped by others' reactions: approval or disapproval
Importance of internal dialogue
- Dialogue between the 'I' (individual's spontaneous self) and the 'me' (social self) leads to the emergence of the social self

Mead argued that the self cannot exist outside social contexts
Consciousness itself is a social phenomenon
Society is shaped by individual communication and social acts
- Uses gestures, defined as conscious or unconscious
- Unconscious gestures signify a stimulus-response relationship
- Conscious gestures define human communication through symbols

Mead describes childhood development from stimulus-response interactions to complex games
- Children learn to take on roles:
  - Begins with play-acting
  - Evolves into understanding multiple roles in organized games
Games as a metaphor for democratic life
- Children learn cooperation and the importance of adjusting impulsive behavior (the 'I') for team dynamics (the 'me')
Importance of self-control and behavioral adjustment guided by social interactions

The self arises from social interactions
Mead asserts an individual can self-reflect and analyze through roles taken in play or games
Importance of cooperative social interaction
- Forms the self's structure and reflects societal values
A unified self can still face fragmentation in unstable individuals or situations

Initial phase of communication
Communication grows into a reflective inner dialogue, determining actions through the expression and response to gestures

The self involves recognizing oneself through the reactions of others (the 'me')
The 'I' responds to the 'me', driving individual actions not simply through social expectation

The concept of the generalized other involves taking societal attitudes into account
Integral for identity development and understanding personal roles in broader society
Involves recognizing roles within various social hierarchies like political parties or cultural groups

The self is an emergent property of both the individual and the social environment, shaped by interaction and dialogue
Mead's insights challenge the mechanical view of behaviorism, emphasizing the complexity of human identity and interaction
Key terms: self, I, me, reflexivity, significant gestures, generalized other