Charles Horton Cooley

Essay # 64499

Psychology
Sociology

This paper discusses the theories of pioneer sociologist Charles Horton Cooley.

1,200 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

Charles Horton Cooley was one of the first generation of American sociologists, but differed from most of his peers. This paper explains that, whereas most were reformists, often inspired by religion, Cooley was more artistic and romantic. It discusses how his peers were aiming to make sociology a rigorously objective (positivist) science. In contrast, Cooley was an idealist, more concerned with introspection and imagination, one of the earliest of humanistic sociologists.

From the Paper:

"Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929) is regarded as an outstanding sociologist. He is best known for his theories that personality results from social influences and that the individual and the group are complementary aspects of human association. In his book Human Nature and the Social Order (1902), the pioneering sociologist introduced the term "looking-glass self." This metaphor has since become a standard concept in American sociology, with important implications in psychology, ethical studies, theories of child rearing, and other fields."