George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) was an American philosopher and social theorist at the University of Chicago whose work laid the theoretical foundation for symbolic interactionism, though he never used that term himself and published no monograph in his lifetime. He argued that the human self is not innate but arises through social interaction, developing as an individual learns to take the perspective of specific others and eventually of the 'generalized other,' the internalized attitude of the community as a whole. Central to his account is the role of language and shared symbols, which he saw as the medium through which minds, selves, and society are jointly constructed. His ideas reached the wider world only posthumously, when students compiled his lecture notes into Mind, Self, and Society: From the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist (1934).
Facts
BirthplaceSouth Hadley, Massachusetts, United States 1 Death PlaceChicago, Illinois, United States 1 Nationality / Culture Defining ContributionHe developed an original theory of the social genesis of the self, showing how mind and self-concept emerge through symbolic communication and role-taking rather than existing prior to social experience. 1 Notable WorkMind, Self, and Society (1934, posthumous); The Philosophy of the Present (1932, posthumous); Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century (1936, posthumous), all compiled by students from lecture notes 1 Connections
Associated With
Cooley's looking-glass self and Mead's theory of the social self are the two foundational accounts symbolic interactionism was built from.
Informed By
Source Charles Horton Cooley (Wikipedia)
Institutions Informed
Source Annie Marion MacLean (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopedia.com: Sutherland, Edwin H.
Source Ellsworth Faris (Wikipedia)
Blumer was Mead student at Chicago and coined the term symbolic interactionism to name the sociological program he built from Mead social psychology.
Shaped By
Source George Herbert Mead (Wikipedia)
Theories Developed
Source Wikipedia: Symbolic Interactionism
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in Psychology Atlas: the same subject.
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Sources
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: George Herbert Mead
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy- Section 1, Life and Influences
- biography section
- publications discussion
- Section 1: "considered by many to be the father of the school of Symbolic Interactionism in sociology and social psychology, although he did not use this nomenclature"
View the Source 2. New World Encyclopedia: George Herbert Mead
New World EncyclopediaArticle text, subfield social-psychologyQuote, Article text, subfield social-psychology
He is regarded as one of the founders of social psychology, developing what was later called the "Symbolic Interactionist" approach.
Wikidata: George Herbert Mead
Wikidata Q295978, class allow-list match, case-insensitive label variant (w-bbfill-smallsix2-0926/resolve_ci.ps1)View the Source Wikipedia: Symbolic Interactionism
WikipediaTheories Developed: Symbolic Interactionism, History sectionView the Source Charles Horton Cooley (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInformed By: Charles Horton Cooley, Biography section, on Human Nature and the Social OrderQuote, Informed By: Charles Horton Cooley, Biography section, on Human Nature and the Social Order
In Human Nature and the Social Order (1902) he foreshadowed George Herbert Mead's discussion of the symbolic ground of the self by detailing the way in which an individual's active participation in society affects the emergence of normal social participation.
George Herbert Mead (Wikipedia)
Shaped By: Symbolic Interactionism, LeadQuote, Shaped By: Symbolic Interactionism, Lead
He is regarded as one of the founders of symbolic interactionism, and was an important influence on what has come to be referred to as the Chicago School of Sociology.
Encyclopedia.com: Sutherland, Edwin H.
Encyclopedia.comInstitutions Informed: Edwin Sutherland, Criminology, influencesQuote, Institutions Informed: Edwin Sutherland, Criminology, influences
his work reflects the influences of the giants of American sociology: Cooley, Thomas, Park, Burgess, and Mead.
Ellsworth Faris (Wikipedia)
Institutions Informed: Ellsworth Faris, Biography, doctorateQuote, Institutions Informed: Ellsworth Faris, Biography, doctorate
Faris earned his Ph.D. under George Herbert Mead at the University of Chicago, and was hired into the department.
Annie Marion MacLean (Wikipedia)
Institutions Informed: Annie Marion MacLean, Lead, associations (Mead)Quote, Institutions Informed: Annie Marion MacLean, Lead, associations (Mead)
founding scholars of sociology such as Albion Small, Charles Henderson, and George Herbert Mead
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