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The social behaviorist and sociologist George Herbert Mead states that the “generalized other is the attitude of the entire community or of any collectivity in which the actor or person is involved.” The generalized other is the ideals or attitude of the group, community, and society. In other words the generalized other is the beliefs, views, morals, etc. that are held by a group, community, or society. It can also be seen as the view that a person adopts in order to see how a group, community, or society thinks or views that individual.

Background on Generalized Other

Generalized other is part of the sociological theory of symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism is one of the major sociological theories, which is considered to be started and strongly influenced by G.H. Mead. It deals with the interactions that people have with other people and their environment, and the roles or impressions that they portray in different parts of their lives. "We interpret symbols-gestures, words, apperances-whose meanings we hace come to understand. G.H. Mead did not only lead the way for American sociologist, but also lead the way for the school of symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism says that humans have the distinct ability to relate to one another not only through gestures, but also through significant symbols. This interpretation occur in situations in which we interact with someone, it is a process of the interpretation of symbols during social interactions. It is also closely linked with the concept of the self that involves the concepts of Mead that includes the I, the me, and the generalized other. The complete self requires all of concepts of Mead, the I, the me, and the generalized other.

G.H. Mead (1863-1931) focused on the thought, action, and interaction. Mead emphasizes the importance of starting with the group or the more general terms, which he sees as the social self. Mead's theory of the self is a micro theory, that goes about in a different way that theories did in the past most specifically European sociology. Mead focused on a bottom-up construction of his sociological theory. Mead starts with the individual and then moves to the more general. This is seen in the formation of the social self, it starts with the I, and the me, which both deal with the individual. Then moves to the more general which is the group, community, or society by using the generalized other.

The I is the reactive part of an individual or the individual’s response, this can only be found after the event has occurred. The me is the thinking or reasoning part, or in other terms that social self. This is expressed by an internalization of who you are or what you think you are. This can also be seen as a person’s identity.

Characteristics of the Self and Generalized Other

The generalized other is the “not me” or everything that is not the me. It is the community or society, and other individuals that interact with the I or me. The generalized other is a special case of role-taking in which the individual responds to social gestures, and takes up and adjusts common attitudes. It also reveals that both the personal and the social evolve and each is open to activities that bring about change. The generalized other is the perceived or interpreted attitudes of a group, community, or society. People use this perceived attitude to change their actions to find a sense of self with in the group, community, or society. This means that when a individual is interaction with others or a group they take in mind what they think the other people or group think or them and try to act accordingly or try to change their actions to better interact with others or the group.

The generalized other also makes it possible for the person or actor to think abstractly and objectively. The use of the generalized other allow the person or actor to withdraw from the individual and take the view of the group, community, or society and therefore will be able to have a more objective perspective. The generalized other is a requirement for the self, the person or actor must be a part of the group, community, or society in order to be produtive and accepted, and must also be directed by the attitudes show by that group, community, or society. As stated before the generalized other is used by a person or actor to use the view of the group, community, or society in order to adjust their action so they can better interact with that group, community, or society.

The Role of the Generalized Other

The ideas of the self and the generalized other are two of the most important and critical objects in an environment. The generalized other is the role that a person or actor takes when interacting with a large group, community, or society. By taking the role of the generalized other takes the point of view of the group, community, or society. This allows them to become more objective perspective rather than taking the role of the individual. Gestures are also made in terms of either the individual or the generalized other. When these gestures of other are interpreted and minded deliberations, then interaction has occurred through a process Mead labeled it “taking the role of the other.” “All individuals possess conceptions of ‘roles’ and they use these not only to make roles for themselves in a situation, but also to interpret the efforts of others to make a role. Such interpretations are, however, supplemented by additional stocks of knowledge as these are filtered through the generalized other.”

This is very similar and part of the idea of self-labeling. “Mead argued that one’s sense of self as a meaningful object arises from taking the role of specific and then of the generalized other.” Some modern theorists have named this idea as “social identities.” And in order to be a well-socialized person or actor one needs to participate in self-labeling and taking on the views and perceptions of either the individual or of a group, community, or society, in other words the generalized other. Many people or actors take a the role of the generalized other based on what other people or actors perceive that individual. The generalized other is a role that the self may take upon themselves in order to think more abstractly and more objectively. The role of the generalized other refers to the individual taking on the conception of the group, community, or society that the person or actor is a part of.identify specifically to the individual. But, the role of the generalized other cannot be taken if the connections to the group, community, or society are obscure or minimal. But, if person or actor doesn’t have a strong connection to the group, community, or society the person or actor can base their action on what they think is the typical attitudes of the others toward the person or actor, and by doing this they are not taking the role of the generalized other, but are acting like the role to have a form of connection to the group, community, or society.

Similarities To Other Concepts and People

The idea of the generalized other also shares characteristics with the idea of the superego. The superego is an concept of Sigmund Freud. The superego is considered the conscience, and a sense of morality. The conscience and morality is considered by many to be set up by the group, community, or society. The superego acts against the id, which is the subconscious, the id can also be thought of as the I in Mead’s concept of the self. The I is the reactive or the animalistic part of the self. And the generalized other and the superego is the attitudes of the group, community, or society. The superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us, and can dictate our belief of what we think is right and wrong. This can differ from the generalized other in the sense that the superego acts against the id and the ego. The id and the ego are comparable to the I and the me, concepts of Mead. It is also true that both the superego and generalized other can be seen as the views of a group, community, or society.

The idea of generalized other can also be closely related to some of the ideas of Erving Goffman. Goffman is another symbolic interactionist that was influenced by G.H. Mead. The idea of impression management can be seen as the view of the generalized other when talking about the roles that a person or actor is taking upon themselves. This is most specifically the external or front stage role or impression that a person or actor takes on. They use this role or impression to portray what they thing the group, community, or society expects them to take. This view can very well be the perceived view of the generalized other.