I and Me Theory

 What comes to your mind when you think of your childhood?

Perhaps you recall some funny, amusing, or distressing experiences, but today I want to offer you a different perspective to help you see things you may have overlooked. 

Charles Cooley and George Herbert Mead were two scientists who developed a theory that explains how other people's perceptions of us shape our self-image. Cooley believed that our identity can be influenced by everyone we interact with, but he also said that only certain people at certain times can impact our self-image. Mead, on the other hand, believed that people can develop perceptions about themselves through their observation of others and interaction with them. While Cooley's approach expresses a limited process, Mead's is about a lifelong process, and he was an example of this explanation.

Mead identified three stages of our perception development. 

1.  The preparatory phase occurs when children aged 2 or less interact with others by imitating and copying people they regularly interact with, without even understanding what they are copying. 

1. The play stage occurs when children aged 2 to 6 start considering the role of significant people in their lives. During this time, children start to role-play and pretend to be others, which influences their self-consciousness. They begin to see and understand things from another's perspective. This understanding leads them to worry about other people's reactions to what they do. However, they pay more attention to the perception of people who have a significant impact on their lives, such as parents, teachers, and friends. This is where George Mead believes the concept of "I" and "Me" comes in. The "Me" is the social self, and the "I" is our response to the "Me." Our perception of how society sees us is "Me," which we learn through other people's interactions. Mead also believes that language plays a significant role in self-development, where individuals communicate with each other through symbols, words, sounds, and gestures. The development of oneself is closely linked to the development of language.

1. The third stage the game stage, occurs when children aged 7 and beyond can examine the attitudes and behavior of society. In the game, there are set rules that we need to follow, and through following the rules, children learn more about other people's perspectives and their society. Understanding rules is important in developing oneself. Children learn that people do not always act according to their personal beliefs but rather to societal expectations. They begin to understand that others have opinions about them and that their actions or words can affect others' perceptions. 

After understanding those 3 stages of Mead's theory, the important thing you should remember is how others affect us and how that can change us. By looking at the three stages, you can gain insight into how people influenced your perceptions from an early age. Mead's theory emphasizes that people have no absolute influence when they are young. We are in our own world and give no weight to other people's perspectives, but we only become aware as we grow up.

• In a word, Mead's theory shows how other people shape our self-image. Understanding the 3 stages of perception development can help us gain insight into our childhood.

 Dream, Explore, Discover!✌

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 #selfimage #perception #psychology