Sociology is a scientific study that looks into social interaction, social relationship patterns, and culture of everyday life as they relate to the society as a whole. Therefore, in understanding how society operates, it is important to recognize the various aspects and factors that make society possible. The individual “self” in an important element to consider where the individual plays numerous roles in the society as a whole. There have been numerous theories on how to develop a construction of the “self”. One of them is Charles Horton Cooley’s the Looking Glass Self that pointed out that the “self and society” are “twin born” whereby the self grows out of relation to others. In this regard, communication with others helps in the development of the individual. The following paper takes an integral evaluation through the concepts raised in sociological theory.
Important Characteristics of Your "self."
I believe I have a number of important characteristics that relate to my beliefs, personality, interests, and view of society. To begin with my beliefs, I would first start off by indicating that I am not as religious as I would have liked to be. This view does not mean that I do not believe there is a God because I actually do. It is in relation to the negative influences and observations I have made in the modern society. There are numerous members who may purport to be Christians or Muslims and do something that is in complete disregard to the teachings and beliefs of that particular religion. It is for this reason that I belief that such religions have only been created to establish a control of people and what is expected of them. In terms of my personality, I believe that I am social, creative, and very ambitious. During my childhood, my parents moved around a lot primarily because of their jobs hence I did not have the opportunity to stay at a place long enough to make choices of friends. I would usually consider everybody as my friend irrespective of their behavior or personality. I would also learn to strike up connection with others and it is for this that I believe I am very creative in socializing. My trait as an ambitious individual is based on my professional goals. I have set strict two-year, five-year, and ten-year goals that I believe I am on course to achieving. I believe that ambition is a necessary component of any individual that would want to achieve anything in this world. The American Dream was created so that all members would have a goal they can set their sights on. However, this goal may prove to be impossible when an individual is lazing around waiting potentially for for a lottery win.
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Another one of my important characteristics is my interest in sports in particular soccer. Maybe this is purely born out of peer pressure, but I believe that soccer or football as it is referred to in Europe and South America, is one of the most interesting sports in the world. Every aspect of the game is influential on the primary objective of scoring goals. As a young adolescent, I began my flirtation with the sport where I was able to play as a central defender. This point of my life was probably the most enjoyable as I was able to travel to the Manchester United academy where I briefly believed I would one day become a soccer star. Sadly, I was not able to achieve that goal as I was not as skillful as the expected standards set. I shifted my hopes and dreams to one day become an analyst of the game and probably move up the ranks to become a coach. My view of society is particularly liberal. However, I would not say that I am a staunch liberal. I do believe that all persons should have the freedom to choose from what they want and how they can lead their lives. This concept is born from the belief that I should respect or accept the opinions and behaviors that are different from mine. This position does not mean that I will allow someone to be disrespectful to others or myself. In fact, I believe a show of respect should be accorded when the individual is respectful and considerate of others. Hereby, equal rights play an important role in my beliefs. In my liberal views, I believe individuals should be able to broaden their personal knowledge and experience beyond the professional training. In this practice, one is able to encounter the world through a completely different perspective.
Childhood Socialization
Family was an integral element in childhood socialization. My parents both encouraged me to be open to new experiences, but to watch out for negative influences that may lead me astray. In retrospect, these words had little meaning as I could barely comprehend what astray meant. In its context I believed it to being mean or purposely hurtful to another human being. As a result, I was always polite to my peers and teachers alike believing that it made people feel better. As I grew, I came to understand that the concept referred to everything that would divert me from my intended goal. I cherish my parents for they have always been their to guide me even through difficult times.
Education is another childhood socialization agent that helped in the the development of the self. Ever since I was a child, I have always liked reading not just for the sake of it, as a means of learning something new. I was able to read from an early age and my passion continued as I grew up. As a young adolescent, I loved reading novels and poems which made me stumble upon the literary works of Maya Angelou. Her poems “Caged Bird” and “Still I Rise” resonated well with my experience where I felt I was doing so much to please other people but never really made deep and long lasting friendships. It was this point I decided to embrace my image for what it is and nor be swayed by negative criticism.
Like many other American girls, mass media has played a critical role in presenting the ideal woman. Oprah Winfrey who has always been on television for more than two decades has been championed for overcoming adversity and become a force to reckon with in modern society particularly an industry dominated by men, the entertainment. She became my inspiration as to what the ideal woman should be like fearless, compassionate, and having a heart of giving. She has been a source of hope to many women who have felt they were down and out. In the same way, I hope to become even half the woman she is today.
Cooley's "looking-glass self" on your Socialization Experiences
The concept of the “looking glass self” was developed by Cooley following influences from Darwinism and Pragmatism. The term was developed primarily to the 19th century reference to the mirror as a “looking glass”. He sought to identify “Human nature and social order” that would help in the formation of an image about the individual “Self”. There three components that are involved in the “self” formation as Cooley pints out. They include: How one imagines one looks to others, how one imagines and reacts to the judgement of others on the perception we feel they have of us, and finally, we imagine how others feel about us using the judgments made. While these concepts may appear complex, the are not entirely particularly when incorporated into one’s own life.
The first concept of how one imagines one looks to others is particularly evident during childhood and goes on into adulthood. At some point and time, one will realize that the opinions held by others are so many that it becomes difficult to keep up. As a child, I was always curious to know how others felt about me and whether they actually liked me. There are numerous cases where I actually remember asking by childhood friends the question, :What do you think of me?” While the question may seem broad and lacking of a specific guidance on what to identify, it is evident that most of them usually had an answer. In many cases, individuals at an older age will want to demonstrate a positive regard for someone who has asked such a question. However, for most children it serves as an opportunity to provide criticism that may help them become your friend. The negative comments usually sting and are the ones that last longer in memory.
The second element of the looking-glass self is the imagination of the judgments of others based on how one thinks they view them. In this phase, we already have a view of how some individuals in the community may have a perception of you be it in you appearance or your personality. In majority cases, we usually attempt to turn these perceived judgments as an aspect of ourselves that should be changed. Taking the playground mentality, there is the belief that if I am not pretty or handsome enough, I may not be able to play with a particular group. As a result, we try to make our image appear better than before. For a long time in my childhood years, I believed that other children did not want to play with me because of my dental formula. It came about when one boy pointed out that may big teeth were the reason why I usually misspoke and could not spell words correctly. When a whole class of about 15 or more 8-year-olds burst out laughing, I reckoned I would never show my teeth again.
The third element is the development of our sense of self that is a response to the perceived judgments of others. In this case, the individual even through to adulthood develops a sense of self that we believe is likeable to others around us. As a young, girl this is very common where it seems everything about us is judged by the rest of the world. I once believed that I had a horrible laugh and my voice was annoying to others. As a result, I began to speak softly as an immediate response. Others called it feeling shy which actually was because I did not want others judging me. However, this would make it even more difficult for me to socialize as many people complained they could not hear me. It was at his point that I realized I am working to hard to please others around me rather than embrace what I feel is best for me. I began to become more outspoken and embraced some traits that I believed were actually my strengths.
