The generalized other is a theory developed by George Herbert Mead, a philosopher and one of the pioneers of social psychology. The concept is a general notion that every individual has similar expectations as others about particular actions and thoughts within the society ( Holdsworth & Morgan, 2007) .
Mead’s concept accounts for the social origin of self-consciousness while maintaining the transformation function of the individual. According to him, the modern community comprises of multiple generalized others as there are social groups. As a result, every individual articulates aspects of social-cultural values in their perspective ( Valsiner, 2002) . The shared view of the generalized other allows individuals to participate in social interactions which create a platform for the establishment of one’s sense of self. Failure to develop the ability to adapt to other people’s point of view cripples the development of personality.
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The concept of the generalized other merges the individual self with the larger society ( Aboulafia, 2008) . It allows the members of the society to assume their social roles, therefore, giving the community the authority to exercise control over every individuals’ conduct. The concept acts as an essential restraining influence on individual behavior in terms of attributes, attitudes, and opinions.
In conclusion, George Mead uses the concept of a game and its players as an analogy to display the human’s need to internalize the attitudes of the members of the society. The development of an individual is instigated by obtaining these attitudes and organizing them into a generalized other. It ensures a smoothly functioning community and the establishment of a strong moral and self-conscious self.
References
Valsiner, J. (2002). Forms of dialogical relations and semiotic autoregulation within the self. Theory & Psychology , 12 (2), 251-265.
Aboulafia, M. (2008). George Herbert Mead. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Holdsworth, C., & Morgan, D. (2007). Revisiting the generalized other: an exploration. Sociology, 41(3), 401-417.
