George Herbert Mead, Mind Self & Society. T

Abstract

George Herbert Mead’s (1863–1931) posthumously published lectures that form the substance of the book Mind, Self, and Society represent important statements on the relationship between individual and society. Mead maintained that the self arises in social interaction with others through symbolic communication. His work became the basis for the school of thought in sociology known as symbolic interactionism. In this selection Mead explains the emergence of self by exploring “game and play” activities of children, as well as how people come to infer the perspective of others and the larger society in which they live.