George Herbert Mead

Sociology American 1863 – 1931 100 quotes

A founder of symbolic interactionism, his work on the self, mind, and society emphasized the role of social interaction in shaping identity.

Quotes by George Herbert Mead

The individual is a social process.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

Reflection arises when the stimulus and response are inhibited.

The Philosophy of the Act 1938

The future is a hypothesis of the present.

The Philosophy of the Present 1932

Social objects are constituted by social attitudes.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

The self is reflexive; it is an object to itself.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

Mind emerges from the social process of significant symbols.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

The organized attitude of the community is the generalized other.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

Action is social in its inception and completion.

The Philosophy of the Act 1938

The past exists only as it is reconstructed in the present.

The Philosophy of the Present 1932

The 'I' responds to the 'me,' creating the self.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

Society is not a fixed structure but a flux of interactions.

The Philosophy of the Present 1932

The significant symbol is one that calls out the same response in the other.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

Thought is the manipulation of social symbols.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

The self is formed through role-taking.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

Reality is perspectival, emerging from social perspectives.

The Philosophy of the Present 1932

The community of investigation is the source of truth.

Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century 1936

The individual achieves identity through social participation.

Mind, Self, and Society 1934

Gestures become significant through shared meaning.

Social Psychology Notes 1910

The present is pregnant with the future.

The Philosophy of the Present 1932

Social psychology studies the behavior of the individual in society.

Article 1909