Читать книгу Essentials of Sociology - George Ritzer - Страница 167

The sociological perspective on the individual and the self focuses on the social interactions humans are capable of having with each other. Cooley’s concept of the looking-glass self, the idea that humans develop self-images reflecting the way in which others respond to them, is fundamental to sociology. Symbolic interactionism posits that humans use significant symbols, such as gestures and language, to develop a sense of self. George Herbert Mead defined the self as the ability to take oneself as an object. Once individuals are able to internalize the perspective of a group or community, they come to possess a sense of the generalized other. According to Mead the self is composed of two parts, the “I” that is impulsive and the “me” that is conformist.

Erving Goffman believed that in every interaction, or performance, individuals attempt to manage projections of themselves. On a front stage, they operate in an idealized manner, but on a back stage, they can more freely express themselves.

Socialization is the process through which a person learns and generally comes to accept the ways of a group or of a society as a whole. Primary socialization begins with newborns and infants and continues over the course of their childhood during anticipatory socialization. Socialization does not end with childhood—adults continue to be socialized throughout their lives. Our families, peers, workplaces, and the media are important agents of socialization.

Socialization involves interaction, or social engagement, between two or more individuals. Some interaction involves reciprocity, or the expectation that those involved in it will give and receive equally, while other interactions transpire between those with power and their subordinates. Interaction is deeply involved in people’s statuses and their related roles.

Patterns of interaction and social relationships that occur regularly and persist over time become social structures. A group is one type of social structure that develops when individuals interact over time and develop a patterned relationship. A small, close-knit group with intimate face-to-face interactions is a primary group. A secondary group is larger and more impersonal; its members do not know each other very well.