14/11/11 George Herbert Mead – social philosopher of the 30’s Important because he linked individual’s ability to see ourselves and as others might see us. E.g. Going for an interview and deciding what to wear – suit, jeans, etc. To make the decision you have to look at yourself the way others will look at you, i.e. From the outside. To do this we carry images in our heads – images which are symbols. This is unique to human beings. This is best illustrated with language – a symbolic system which acts as representation. But images work in the same way. We wear the suit – it symbolises – stands for- the sort of person we want the others to think we are – confident, serious etc. So we signal our identities through symbols and representation – these are what produce our identities. It is how we identify with and distinguish ourselves from others. So, how did you decide what to wear this morning? Here’s an example:
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