George Herbert Mead 1863 – 1931
George Herbert Mead was an American philosopher, psychologist, and sociologist and one of the central figures of classical American pragmatism. A colleague of John Dewey at Chicago, he developed an influential social theory of mind, self, and society in which all three are constituted in and through symbolic interaction. He published almost nothing in book form during his lifetime; his posthumously edited lectures, especially Mind, Self, and Society, became the founding documents of symbolic interactionism in sociology and social psychology.
Key facts
- Nationality
- American
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Pragmatism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to George Herbert Mead:
“The self is not present at birth; it arises in the process of social experience and activity.”
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Attributed to George Herbert Mead:
“The 'I' acts in response to the 'me' of accumulated experience.”
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Attributed to George Herbert Mead:
“We must be others if we are to be ourselves.”
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Attributed to George Herbert Mead:
“Society shapes the self, and the self in turn shapes society.”
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Attributed to George Herbert Mead:
“Communication is the basis of human community.”