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Mead suggested that the self emerges through social interaction, particularly when we are able to take on the roles and perspectives of others. More generally, his pragmatist approach centers on practical ways we build and acquire knowledge, and his interest in everyday experience is evident in his writings and lectures. In this selection, Mead illustrates how the self is generated through the role-taking process. Answer the following questions as you move through the reading.


1. What do you think Mead means when he writes that the self is “an object to itself”?

2. What is the “generalized other” and why is it important in the development of the self?

3. According to Mead, the last stage of the development of the self is when we are able to take on the attitudes and expectations of the broader social world. Keeping this in mind, what role might mass media play in developing the self?

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