INTERACTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE OF EDUCATION BY C. H. COOLEY

INTERACTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE OF EDUCATION BY C. H. COOLEY

                    

                                                

                                           CONTENTS

§  BRIEF LIFE SKATCH OF C. H. COOLEY

§  INTERACTIONISM

§  LOOKING GLASS SELF THEORY

§  CONCLUSION

v BRIEF LIFE SKATCH OF C. H. COOLEY

Charles Horton Cooley was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in September 7, 1864, to Mary Elizabeth Horton and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas M. Cooley. He was the fourth of six children.

Cooley graduated from University of Michigan in 1887, and continued with a year's training in mechanical engineering at the same school. In 1888, he returned for a Master's degree in political economics, with a minor in sociology. He began teaching economics and sociology at the University in the fall of 1892. Cooley went on to receive a PhD in 1894. His doctoral thesis was The Theory of Transportation in economics. He began teaching sociology in the academic year of 1894-95.

He believed that the mind is social, that society is a mental construct, and that the moral unity of society derives from face-to-face relationships in primary groups such as the family and neighborhood. In Human Nature and the Social Order (1902), he referred to this form of social reference as "the looking glass self." Cooley's other works include Social Organization (1909) and Social Process (1918).

“One should never criticize his own work except in a fresh and hopeful mood. The self-criticism of a tired mind is suicide”. 

Charles Horton Cooley

v INTERACTIONISM

There are many subjects to be studied and discussed in the field of Sociology, and the approach chosen to study a particular subject is called a perspective.  There are three different perspectives, and they are functionalist, conflict, and interactions perspectives.

 Integrationist perspective focuses on the way that small groups act, in order to understand society as a whole.  Interactionists study people in their everyday behavior and how they react to their surroundings.  Such surroundings may include material things, actions, other people, and symbols.  George Herbert Mead is most often credited with founding the interactionist perspective, but Charles Horton Cooley also shared Mead's views. The interactionist view of society is that we influence each other's everyday social interactions.  In contrast to functionalist and conflict perspectives, the interactionist perspective studies society on a micro sociological level.  In other words they study on a small scale in order to understand the large scale.  Interactionists believe that an individual creates their own social world through his or her interactions, and it is thought that social order is maintained when people share their understanding of everyday behavior.  Interactionists say that social change occurs when the positions and communication with one another change. 

v LOOKING SELF GLASS THEORY

The looking-glass self is a popular theory within the sociological field known as symbolic interactionism. It explains a formation of self-image via reflection. The term "looking glass self" was first used by Cooley in his work, Human Nature and the Social Order in 1902. In looking-glass self a person views himself or herself through others' perceptions in society and in turn gains identity.

The looking-glass self begins at an early age and continues throughout the entirety of a person’s life as one will never stop modifying their self unless all social interactions are ceased. According to Cooley, "the mind is mental" because "the human mind is social." Beginning as children, humans begin to define themselves within the context of their socializations. The child learns that the symbol of his/her crying will elicit a response from his/her parents, not only when they are in need of necessities such as food, but also as a symbol to receive their attention. The words "good" or "bad" only hold relevance after one learns the connotation and societal meaning of the words.

When people receive a negative or condescending response to their appearance from a variety of persons they might socialize with, they might begin to view themselves as less physically attractive or appealing. When they receive a positive or encouraging response to jokes or comedy, they become more apt to engage in these social behaviors or to take pride in their verbal skills.

In this way, people are directly influenced and in some cases entirely built up around the reflections of themselves that they see in others.

The medium used to express these feelings, especially in the earliest stages of development, is the realm of symbolic interaction. Not all cues are verbal, but a simple frown or looks of amusement are all symbols which bear greater social meanings.

There are three main components of the looking-glass self.

§  We imagine how we must appear to others.

·       We imagine the judgment of that appearance.

·       We develop our self through the judgments of others.

 C.H. Cooley, "The thing that moves us to pride or shame is not the mere mechanical reflection of ourselves, but an imputed sentiment, the imagined effect of this reflection upon another's mind."

The looking glass self is directly related to self-awareness; indeed, self-awareness may be said to be formed via the process of undergoing the process coined by Cooley.

The concept is somewhat related to the psychological concept of projection; human beings interpret the reactions of others that they socialize with in regards to appearance, speech, mannerisms (all symbols) and project these interpretations unto themselves.

One's self-awareness is thus heavily influenced by these social responses, and to some degree persons become reflections of what they see projected unto them by others –a summation of the symbolic interactions and exchanges between their selves and "the other."

v CONCLUSION

The looking glass self is directly related to self-awareness; indeed, self-awareness may be said to be formed via the process of undergoing the process coined by Cooley.

The concept is somewhat related to the psychological concept of projection; human beings interpret the reactions of others that they socialize with in regards to appearance, speech, mannerisms (all symbols) and project these interpretations unto themselves.

One's self-awareness is thus heavily influenced by these social responses, and to some degree persons become reflections of what they see projected unto them by others.