Charles Cooley “The Looking Glass Self” Cooley wrote that people’s ideas of themselves have “three principal elements: (1) the imagination of our appearance to the other person; (2) the imagination of his/her judgment of that appearance, and (3) some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification. What results is that we see ourselves through the eyes of other people, even to the extent of incorporating their views of us into our own self-concept. And thus, we become them or better yet a reflection of what others think about us.? This connects to Robert Merton’s concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy. 1. Watch the following short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU0BQUa11ek 2. Read: http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2013/05/27/the-looking-glass-self-how-our-self-image-is-shaped-by-society/ 3. After watching the short YouTube video that describes Cooley’s concept of the looking-glass self. Think about how this relates to your own life. 4. How do you perceive that others view you? In other words look through “The Looking Glass.” 5. Select 1 or 2 people in your life and describe how YOU perceive that they see you. And do you see yourself in that way? Share as little or as much as you are comfortable.
