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George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman

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George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman are two theorists in the study of sociology that have impacted the way we see sociology today. Their works, when closely examined, actually share some extreme similarities. Both of these men seemed very interested in the perception of self in the eyes of others as well as yourself. “Mind, Self, and Society” is an article written by Mead which was placed in the book entitled “Social Theory: The Classic Tradition to Post-Modernism” which was edited by Farganis with the copyright of McGraw-Hill in 2004. This primarily deals with the development of one’s self, or their identity. “Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” is an article written by Goffman which was arranged to be in the book “Inner Lives and Social Worlds: Readings in Social Psychology.” This book was edited by Holstien and Gubrium and has a copyright from Oxford University Press in 2003. This mostly addresses the performance of ones self in comparison to a dramaturgy.

In “Mind, Self, and Society,” Mead goes into detail on how people perceive themselves and exactly who they are. The only way you know certain things about yourself is from interaction with other people. By the way they react to your actions, you can gain a stronger sense of who you are. This creates the development of the “I” and the “me” identity. The “I” is how you see yourself and is subjective. In further explanation, “I” is the right now. If you are a guy who is more comfortable in girl clothes, the “I” doesn’t see anything wrong with it because there is the subjective justification. The “me” is how others perceive you and is objective. If you are a guy who enjoys wearing women’s clothes, the “I” doesn’t see anything wrong with it, but because the “me” is how others perceive you, they would identify it as odd. When they see you as odd, you will start to see yourself as odd. This also leads in to

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