Foreign Minister George Herbert

(1863 - 1931) - American philosopher, sociologist, social psychologist. After U. James and J. Dewey expressed the idea of pragmatism, stressing that consciousness is an instrumental nature, r. e. is a means of adapting the individual to the environment. At the same time believed that the human 'I ^ originally formed socially and in the course of social interaction. Crucial in this respect is mastering the system of symbols and assume the role of another (which is achieved by the child during the game), and in the future - 'generalized other'. Highest stage of socialization, according to M., is the formation of social reflexive 'I', reflecting the totality of Inter-individual interactions and the ability to become an object for himself. At this stage, the external social control 'grows' in a person inside and takes the form of internal self -. Concept M. had a significant impact on the development of social psychology, in particular, laid the foundation of symbolic interactionism ( 'Consciousness, the individual and society', 1934).