George Herbert Mead (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

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• When we act in habitual ways we are not typically self-conscious.

• Mind is developed not only through the use of vocal gestures, but through the taking of roles

• One of the most noteworthy features of Mead's account of the significant symbol is that it assumes that anticipatory experiences are fundamental to the development of language.

• One of Mead's most significant contributions to social psychology is his distinction between the “I” and the “Me.”

• The “Me” is a cognitive object

• When we act in habitual ways we are not typically self-conscious

• hink of the self in relationship to one’s family of origin. In this situation, one views oneself from the perspective of the various sets of behaviors that constitute the family system.

• I.” Every response that the “I” makes is somewhat novel

• The ‘I’ gives the sense of freedom, of initiative

• Its responses may differ only in small ways from previous responses, making them functionally equivalent, but they will never be exactly the same.

• However, this statement should not to be interpreted as endorsing the notion of a transcendental ego.

• Mead is seeking to emphasize that the “I” is not available to us in our acts, that is, it is only knowable in its objectified form as a “Me.

• Mead refers to as a “running current of awareness,” that is, an ego that appears to be aware of itself as it acts and thinks, if the “I” is not immediately aware of itself

• Freud’s super-ego could be conscious or unconscious. One might think of the “Me” as similar to the conscious super-ego in the commentary that it provides, but one would have to be careful not to carry this analogy too far.

• Mead, the “Me” arises in relationship to systems of behaviors, generalized others, and, therefore, is by definition multiple, although the behaviors of various “Me’s” can overlap. Further, Freud’s model assumes a determinism that is not inherent in the relationship of the “I” to the “Me.” Not only does the “I” initiate novel responses, its new behaviors can become part of a “Me.” In other words, “Me’s” are not static. They are systems that often undergo transformation.