Charles Cooley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Horton Cooley
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Cooley from 1902 Michiganensian
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| Born | 17 August 1864 |
| Died | 7 May 1929 (aged 65) Ann Arbor, Michigan, US
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| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Institutions | University of Michigan |
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Main interests
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Political science, economics, psychology, sociology, social psychology |
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Influences
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Charles Horton Cooley (born August 17, 1864 – died May 7, 1929) was an important American sociologist. A sociologist is a scientist who studies how people behave in groups and how societies work. Charles Cooley was the son of a judge named Thomas M. Cooley. He studied and later taught about how societies and economies work at the University of Michigan.
Cooley helped start the American Sociological Association in 1905. He even became its president in 1918. He is most famous for an idea called the "looking-glass self". This idea explains that our idea of who we are comes from how we think others see us. Cooley's health got worse in 1928, and he passed away in 1929.
Contents
Understanding Charles Horton Cooley
Charles Horton Cooley was a key thinker who helped us understand how people connect and form their identities. He believed that our "self" isn't something we are born with, but something that grows as we interact with others.
What is the Looking-Glass Self?
The "looking-glass self" is one of Cooley's most famous ideas. Imagine you are looking into a mirror. What you see there helps you understand how you look. Cooley said that our idea of ourselves is like looking into a "social mirror."
This idea has three main parts:
- First, we imagine how we appear to other people. For example, you might think, "Do my friends think I'm funny?"
- Second, we imagine how others judge that appearance. You might then think, "They probably think I'm really funny!"
- Third, we develop feelings about ourselves based on these imagined judgments. If you think your friends see you as funny, you might feel proud or confident about your humor.
So, our self-image is constantly shaped by what we think others see and think about us. It's like we are always checking our reflection in the eyes of others.
Cooley's Life and Work
Charles Horton Cooley was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He spent most of his life there, studying and teaching at the University of Michigan. He was interested in many subjects, including how governments work (political science), how money and resources are used (economics), how the mind works (psychology), and how people live together in groups (sociology and social psychology).
His work helped people understand that society isn't just a collection of individuals. Instead, it's a complex web of relationships where people constantly influence each other. He showed how our personal feelings and thoughts are connected to the groups we belong to.
Images for kids
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Charles Horton Cooley as a young man
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Cooley's grave at Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor
See also
In Spanish: Charles Cooley para niños
