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Piaget, Mead and Cooley Theories

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Piaget, Mead and Cooley Theories

Piaget Theory

This was Jean Piaget’s theory and it was known as the theory of cognitive development.

This theory highlighted how children obtained knowledge and how they interpreted it to

understand it. It stated that for children to acquire full mental maturity, they had to pass through

four crucial stages (Cherry, 2020) namely sensorimotor stage which begins at birth until two

years of age, preoperational stage that begins at two years of age to seven years of age, concrete

operational stage that begins at seven years of age to 11 years of age and finally the formal

operational stage that starts at 12 years of age upwards.

Piaget believed that children benefited greatly from active learning by constantly adding

new information to their brains, building on existing knowledge and using already existing

knowledge to link new ones (Cherry, 2020). Piaget disputed the idea that children had less

superior minds than adults. He stated that the two sets of people only had a different way of

thinking, but intelligent was only measured by the activities and experiences one has passed

through.

From Piaget’s theory we learn that intelligence is an active process and that children do

not just sit and wait to be fed with new knowledge, but they obtain it as they play with their peers

and explore the world.

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Mead Theory

This theory was developed by George Herbert Mead and it stated that the self is a

representation of all other people’s view of one’s identity as is unique from others (Hurst, 2021).

This is also known as the theory of self. Mead was a philosopher and sociologist and he believed

that socialism is a world process and it will have no end. He argued that the self was a result of

interactions with others. Mead gave an example of a baby’s development, saying the baby will

only recognize and become aware of the self after they have grown to be able to understand their

behaviors in respect to those of others (Hurst,2021). To him, one has to interact with others in

order to understand self.

Mead outlined three stages of understanding self, which are the imitation stage, play

stage and game stage (Hurst, 2021). During the imitation stage, the child copies the manners of

the adults around them without bothering to understand them. During the play stage, a child acts

out roles of those significant to them and the behaviors of the people they mimic become more

central to their core. In the final stage, the game stage, the individual not only considers the role

of significant others, but also the behaviors of the society in general.

Finally, Mead presented the two facets of self, that is, the ‘Me’ and the ‘I’. ‘Me’ is the

objective and conventional part of self while ‘I’ is the subjective and acting part of self (Hurst,

2021). He says that ‘I’ has true attitudes towards ‘M’ while ‘M’ analyzes the judgments of others

towards ‘I’.
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Cooley Theory

This was then work of Charles Horton Cooley and he called it the looking glass self. This

is basically a reflection of how we think we appear in front of others or how they see perceive us.

Cooley outlined three steps in which someone may self-reflect (Sociology Group, 2021). First,

we imagine how we appear in front of friends and family. Then one imagines how they will be

rated by others, such as creativity levels and intelligence. Finally, the person changes themselves

by using the evaluations of others as a basis.

The theory of looking glass self tries to maintain balance between perceptions of others

and those of self. It is important to understand that the opinions of others do not make anyone

change, but how an individual reflects on these opinions (Sociology Group, 2021). This concept

is today seen in the social media platforms as people tend to seek the perceptions of majority

others. They do this through the likes, reactions and comments they maker.

Conclusion

The theories seen are mostly sociologist as they represent an individual’s relationships

and interactions with others. Each theory has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it is

important to understand them and to apply them appropriately in the day to day lives as.
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References

Cherry, K., (2020). The 4 Stages of Cognitive Development. Background and Key Concepts of

Piaget's Theory. https://www.verywellmind.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-

development-2795457

Hurst, M., (2021). George Herbert Mead: The Self, ''Me'' & ''I''.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/george-herbert-mead-the-self-me-i.html

Sociology Group, (2021). Cooley’s “The looking glass self” Theory and Examples.

https://www.sociologygroup.com/looking-glass-self-theory/