Analysis Of Charles Cooley´s The Looking Glass Self

In his piece, The Looking Glass Self, Charles Cooley discusses how a people’s reflections about themselves isn’t so much about them, but rather everything else. For instance, people often use pronouns like I or me to express who they are what they have done. The implicit role of these pronouns is to bring attention and approval about ourselves from the surrounding “other.” This need to be significant in our social world is best displayed by emotions such as pride and shame. As aforementioned this need to seek attention and approval can have a massive impact on the way we behave. Erving Goffman discusses how people are willing to put on a façade to redefine themselves. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life explores how such acts go beyond a first impression. A great example of this can be observed when students move from junior high school to high school to college and beyond. Each individual step up the “life ladder” provides students with the opportunity to make themselves anew. Students take on more desirable qualities as determined by their new social environment and previous experiences.

Wray creates an analogy stating that culture is the like the connective tissue between structure and agency. Culture composes of norms, values, capital, identities and institutions and thus it is rather malleable. An example of culture at work can be seen in ethnic communities in New York City like Chinatown for example. Chinatown is not only a host of many local activities, but it is also an entrepreneurial hub. Credit associations and loan offices dominate the financial scene in the community and loans are given out in the interest of supporting local