Part 3

<p>assumption that human behavior is influenced by group life.</p>

<p>scientific study of social groups and human relationships.</p>

<p>Sociologist Charles Horton Cooley in 1902 introduced the looking-glass self to highlight that the people whom a person interacts with become a mirror in which he or she views himself or herself.</p>

<p>how a person presents himself to others how he analyzes how others perceive him how he or she creates an image of himself.</p>

<p>George Herbert Mead</p>

<p>The &quot;I&quot; is the subjective element and the active side of the self. It represents the spontaneous and unique traits of the individual. The &quot;me,&quot; is the objective element of the self that represents the internalized attitudes and demands of other people.</p>

<p>Mead details the development of the self in a three-stage process:</p> <ol> <li> <p>In the preparatory stage (0-3 years old), children imitate the people around them, especially family members with whom they have daily interaction. During this stage, children are just preparing for role-taking.</p> </li> <li> <p>During the play stage (3 to 5 years old), children start to view themselves in relation to others as they learn to communicate through language and other symbols. Children do not perceive role-taking as something expected of them. At this stage, the self is developing.</p> </li> <li> <p>In the game stage (begins in the early school years; about 8 or 9 years old) children understand not only their own social position but also those of others around them. During this stage, the self is now present.</p> </li> </ol>