Post on 14-Feb-2016
description
George Herbert Mead
George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
Father- Hiram Mead, Congregational minister (1869-1881) Faculty of Oberlin Theological Seminary
Mother- Elizabeth Storrs Billings Devoutly religious Taught two years at Oberlin
After death of husband in 1881 President of Mount Holyoke College (1890–1900 )
South Hadley, MA
George Herbert Mead
Attended Oberlin College (1879–1883) Harvard (1887–1888) Mead taught at University of Michigan (1891–
1894) Worked with John Dewey
Married Best friend Henry Castle’s sister Helen
(1891)
George Herbert Mead
Dewey, Chair at University of Chicago (1894) Hired Mead
University of Chicago Philosophy instructor Later: Chair of Philosophy Department
Social Environment
Progressive Era (1889-1920) Reformers: Children from Protestant families
Often preacher’s kids
Improve society rather than save souls
Help the “masses”
Peaceful reform not revolution
Faith in science, reason, education, & own abilities
Social Environment Volunteerism
Self-discipline
Practical action
Optimism about future
Accomplish own goals
Also help others
Social Environment
Social Problems & Reform U. of Chicago encouraged faculty to
focus on social problems Address practical problems Close friends with Jane Addams
Reform Activities Mead involved in:
Women’s rights
Improving lives of workers
Prison reform
Juvenile justice reform
Race relations
Intellectual Roots
Hegel: Dialectical process & creation of self Self emerges through “I” & “Me”
Conversation between the I (Thesis) & Me (Antithesis), the self (Synthesis) emerges
The Self as Process
The I and the Me
Intellectual Roots Pragmatic Philosophers: Peirce, James, Dewey
Meaning of object depends on purpose at the time
Human action result of reflective self Not stimulus/response
Meaning enables person to achieve goals
Charles Horten Cooley Looking-glass self
Mead’s Ideas
Society: Process of adaptation to the environment. Involves:1. Division of labor2. Cooperation3. Communication4. Human interaction5. *****Taking role of the other
Mead’s Ideas
Social Act People adapt behavior to actions of others “Taking the role of the other” = Assessing
possible reactions to various behaviors Choosing behavior that achieves most desired
reaction Mutual role-taking allows people to coordinate
behavior
Gestures Abbreviated acts
Almost instinctual
Examples: Raising arm in threatening way Opening arms in greeting
Gestures
Gestures and Significant Symbols
For Gesture to be significant Must “mean” same to both organisms“Meaning” involves capacity to
consciously anticipate how others will respond to symbols or gestures
Significant symbols
Fundamental elements of language
Nothing about symbol conveys meaning
Meaning based on agreement
Response requires interpretation
Examples of Symbols
IdeasMind, Self, & Society
1. Mind: Process not a thing2. Self: Product of minded behavior3. Society: We construct the world in
which we live4. Mind, self, & society are interdependent
Ideas
Socialization Develop self by learning to role-take:
1. Imitation2. Play3. Game4. Generalized other
Mead’s Relevance to Sociology
Social psychology Influence on micro sociology
Symbolic interactionism Term coined by Herbert Blumer
Mead’s student