Looking Glass Self Analysis
The looking glass self aims to show us how interactions with others can greatly influence how we feel and how we view ourselves (Reitzes 1980). We can all recall a time where we were made uncomfortable by the mere presence of other people. How we see ourselves doesn’t really come from who we really are but rather, how we believe we are viewed by the world. In this particular kind of situation, we can feel uncomfortable by just the presence of other people for a variety of reasons. You can stand there and silently think thing’s like: “Maybe they think I smell bad.”, “Maybe they don’t like me.”, “Maybe the clothes I’m wearing don’t match.”. It’s thought processes like these that can lead us to feeling down about ourselves and thinking we ourselves
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are not good enough, all because we think people around us are looking down upon us.
In life, we will all be a part of different groups. These could be groups in school, the work place, your local church, groups within the community you live in, etc. Groups come in all shapes, sizes and serve many different purposes. Some groups enable you to be close with its members; other groups keep it more casual. Some groups are designed to have long shelf life while other groups are just temporary. These are just some of the ways Charles Cooley distinguished between Primary Groups and Secondary Groups. Primary groups are the smaller of the two.
Members of these groups generally share a mutual concern for each other’s well being. They also have close relationships with each other. Two good examples of primary groups would be your family or childhood friends (Lee 1962). Cooley emphasized the crucial role primary groups play in the development in our personal identity. Our “self” is rooted from deeply rooted emotions. Primary groups are supposed to tap into these emotions and really let them flourish, allowing our “self” or identity to grow. They teach us how to care, how to express feelings, give us a sense of love and belonging as well as how to support other people. Primary groups have goals for the group as a whole but the relationships formed between the members are goals themselves and generally last a very long time, sometimes for our entire lives. In these groups, you may do things that you might not necessarily want to do (Clow 1919). For example, if you look at your family, you might have siblings that enjoy a certain hobby. You might not enjoy that hobby but if your sibling asked you to join them, you would be inclined to say yes because it’s about what makes them happy in that instance. Even though it doesn’t satisfy your needs, you’re mature enough to be selfless and join. This is a characteristic that is unique to a primary group. You’re constantly conscious of the needs and wants of others instead of living with tunnel
vision.
are not good enough, all because we think people around us are looking down upon us.
In life, we will all be a part of different groups. These could be groups in school, the work place, your local church, groups within the community you live in, etc. Groups come in all shapes, sizes and serve many different purposes. Some groups enable you to be close with its members; other groups keep it more casual. Some groups are designed to have long shelf life while other groups are just temporary. These are just some of the ways Charles Cooley distinguished between Primary Groups and Secondary Groups. Primary groups are the smaller of the two.
Members of these groups generally share a mutual concern for each other’s well being. They also have close relationships with each other. Two good examples of primary groups would be your family or childhood friends (Lee 1962). Cooley emphasized the crucial role primary groups play in the development in our personal identity. Our “self” is rooted from deeply rooted emotions. Primary groups are supposed to tap into these emotions and really let them flourish, allowing our “self” or identity to grow. They teach us how to care, how to express feelings, give us a sense of love and belonging as well as how to support other people. Primary groups have goals for the group as a whole but the relationships formed between the members are goals themselves and generally last a very long time, sometimes for our entire lives. In these groups, you may do things that you might not necessarily want to do (Clow 1919). For example, if you look at your family, you might have siblings that enjoy a certain hobby. You might not enjoy that hobby but if your sibling asked you to join them, you would be inclined to say yes because it’s about what makes them happy in that instance. Even though it doesn’t satisfy your needs, you’re mature enough to be selfless and join. This is a characteristic that is unique to a primary group. You’re constantly conscious of the needs and wants of others instead of living with tunnel
vision.