Biography: George H. Mead

Major Theorists of Symbolic Interactionism

George Herbert Mead (1863- 1931)

George Herbert Mead is a significant figure in the history of American philosophy and sociology as one of the original founders of Pragmatism and a key contributor to the development of symbolic interactionism. Despite never writing a full book during his intellectual career, he published numerous articles and book reviews and his lecture notes were posthumously published by several of his students (Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century, 1936; The Philosophy of the Present, 1932; Mind, Self and Society, 1934; The Philosophy of the Act, 1938). It is through these volumes of published lecture that Mead has had such a profound effect on the development of symbolic interactionsim.

George Herbert Mead was born on February 27, 1863 as a second child to Hiram Mead (a congregationalist minister) and Elizabeth Storrs Billings Mead. Both parents valued intellectual achievement; Hiram served as chair to homiletics at Oberlin College and after Hiram's death, Elizabeth taught at Oberlin College for two years and later served as president of Mount Holyoke College.

At the age of sixteen, George Herbert Mead entered Oberlin College and graduated four years later (1883) with a B.A. degree. During the 1887-1889 academic year, Mead earned his M.A. degree in philosophy at Harvard University. Immediately following his time at Harvard, Mead went to Leipzig, Germany, to further his studies in philosophy and physiological psychology. Later the same year, Mead transferred to the University of Berlin and studied philosophy, psychology, and economic theory. Mead never completed his Ph.D. studies, as his studies were interrupted in 1891 by an offer to teach philosophy and psychology at the University of Michigan. It is at Michigan where Mead became acquainted with both Charles Horton Cooley and John Dewey.

In October of 1891, Mead married Helen Castle. They had their only child, Henry, in 1892. In 1893, Mead went to the new University of Chicago, where he later chaired the Department of Philosophy. The trio of Mead, James Hayden Tufts, and John Dewey made the University of Chicago the new center of American Pragmatism. Mead taught at the University of Chicago until his death on April 26, 1931, right before he was to take a new appointment as professor at Columbia University.

Mead's skills lay primarily in his spoken words, and his course lectures were often well attended, especially his course in social psychology. It is in these lectures that his concepts that were later to be key to the theory of symbolic interactionism arouse. Arguably, most fundamental to the theory of symbolic interactionism is Mead's understanding of how the individual mind and self arises out of the social process (Mind, Self and Society; 1934). His description of language as communication through significant symbols and his concepts of "Me" and "I" as distinct phases of the self (Mind, Self and Society: 1934) are examples of some of his many significant contributions to symbolic interactionism.

Notable Writings of George Herbert Mead:
“ Suggestions Towards a Theory of the Philosophical Disciplines” 1900
“ Social Consciousness and the Consciousness of Meaning” 1910
“ What Social Objects Must Psychology Presuppose” 1910
“ The Mechanisms of Social Consciousness” 1912
“ The Social Self” 1913
“ Scientific Method and the Individual Thinker” 1917
“ A Behavioristic Account of the Significant Symbol” 1922
“ The Genesis of the Self and Social Control” 1925
“ The Objective Reality of Perspectives” 1926
“ The Nature of the Past” 1929
“ The Philosophies of Royce, James, and Dewey in Their American Setting” 1929

Compilations and Published Lectures:
Selected Writings: George Herbert Mead (1964) edited by Andrew J. Reck (25 of Mead's most notable published articles)
The Philosophy of the Present (1932) edited by Arthur E. Murphy
Mind, Self and Society (1934) edited by Charles W. Morris
Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century (1936) edited by Merritt H. Moore The Philosophy of the Act
(1938) edited by Charles W. Morris

Information for this biography gathered from:

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy www.utm.edu/research/iep/m/mead.htm
UOC Department of Sociology and Anthropology: Biographies of Sociologists www.soci.canterbury.ac.nz/biograph/mead.htm
Dead Sociologists' Index www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/INDEX.HTML


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Major Theorists of Symbolic Interactionism George Herbert Mead (1863- 1931) George Herbert Mead is a significant figure in the history of American philosophy and sociology as one of the original founders of Pragmatism and a key contributor to the development of symbolic interactionism. Despite never writing a full book during his intellectual career, he published numerous articles and book reviews and his lecture notes were posthumously published by several of his students (Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century, 1936; The Philosophy of the Present, 1932; Mind, Self and Society, 1934; The Philosophy of the Act, 1938). It is through these volumes of published lecture that Mead has had such a profound effect on the development of symbolic interactionsim. George Herbert Mead was born on February 27, 1863 as a second child to Hiram Mead (a congregationalist minister) and Elizabeth Storrs Billings Mead. Both parents valued intellectual achievement; Hiram served as chair to homiletics at Oberlin College and after Hiram's death, Elizabeth taught at Oberlin College for two years and later served as president of Mount Holyoke College. At the age of sixteen, George Herbert Mead entered Oberlin College and graduated four years later (1883) with a B.A. degree. During the 1887-1889 academic year, Mead earned his M.A. degree in philosophy at Harvard University. Immediately following his time at Harvard, Mead went to Leipzig, Germany, to further his studies in philosophy and physiological psychology. Later the same year, Mead transferred to the University of Berlin and studied philosophy, psychology, and economic theory. Mead never completed his Ph.D. studies, as his studies were interrupted in 1891 by an offer to teach philosophy and psychology at the University of Michigan. It is at Michigan where Mead became acquainted with both Charles Horton Cooley and John Dewey. In October of 1891, Mead married Helen Castle. They had their only child, Henry, in 1892. In 1893, Mead went to the new University of Chicago, where he later chaired the Department of Philosophy. The trio of Mead, James Hayden Tufts, and John Dewey made the University of Chicago the new center of American Pragmatism. Mead taught at the University of Chicago until his death on April 26, 1931, right before he was to take a new appointment as professor at Columbia University. Mead's skills lay primarily in his spoken words, and his course lectures were often well attended, especially his course in social psychology. It is in these lectures that his concepts that were later to be key to the theory of symbolic interactionism arouse. Arguably, most fundamental to the theory of symbolic interactionism is Mead's understanding of how the individual mind and self arises out of the social process (Mind, Self and Society; 1934). His description of language as communication through significant symbols and his concepts of "Me" and "I" as distinct phases of the self (Mind, Self and Society: 1934) are examples of some of his many significant contributions to symbolic interactionism. Notable Writings of George Herbert Mead: “ Suggestions Towards a Theory of the Philosophical Disciplines” 1900 “ Social Consciousness and the Consciousness of Meaning” 1910 “ What Social Objects Must Psychology Presuppose” 1910 “ The Mechanisms of Social Consciousness” 1912 “ The Social Self” 1913 “ Scientific Method and the Individual Thinker” 1917 “ A Behavioristic Account of the Significant Symbol” 1922 “ The Genesis of the Self and Social Control” 1925 “ The Objective Reality of Perspectives” 1926 “ The Nature of the Past” 1929 “ The Philosophies of Royce, James, and Dewey in Their American Setting” 1929 Compilations and Published Lectures: Selected Writings: George Herbert Mead (1964) edited by Andrew J. Reck (25 of Mead's most notable published articles) The Philosophy of the Present (1932) edited by Arthur E. Murphy Mind, Self and Society (1934) edited by Charles W. Morris Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century (1936) edited by Merritt H. Moore The Philosophy of the Act (1938) edited by Charles W. Morris Information for this biography gathered from: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy www.utm.edu/research/iep/m/mead.htm UOC Department of Sociology and Anthropology: Biographies of Sociologists www.soci.canterbury.ac.nz/biograph/mead.htm Dead Sociologists' Index www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/INDEX.HTML