The Social Function of the Self: A Re-reading of George H. Mead on Self

• In Event: 3151 - Theory Section Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 6. Identity Construction, Social Differentiation and Conflict – B

Abstract

Mead’s theory of the social origins of the self is well known, but much less is known about his arguments about the social functions of the self. This article focuses on Mead’s contribution to the understanding of the importance of the reflective self for the functioning of human society. Specifically, it examines Mead’s differentiation between the agentic “I” and the socialized “me,” the disaggregation of the agentic “I” into the “I” as an agentic force and the “I” as personal values, and the role the agentic “I” plays in the creation, application and reconstruction of the rules for human cooperative activity. Implications of Mead’s conception of the self for the contemporary debate over agency and structure are also discussed.

Author

• Shanyang Zhao, Temple University