Sociology: How Past Experiences Affect Your Life

Sociologist Herbert Mead developed a theory known as social behaviorism, which helped

explained why past social experiences help form an individuals’ personality. Mead did not

believe that personality was developed by drives or biologically, but more on terms

socially. He stated that the self only developed when people interact with one another.

Without the interaction of other people an individual can’t develop a personality. An

example of this is if a child is left in total isolation for a long period of time then they

don’t mature both physically or mentally.

Next, social experience is crucial, and this includes the exchange of symbols. Only people

attach meanings to words and symbols. If you tell a dog to sit and it obeys then you may

give it a snack. However, this doesn’t mean it knows why to sit down, but it does so to get

food. You can tell a dog to sit for numerous of reasons such as wanting to impress your

friends, or to calm it down because it is running all over the place. Also, Mead noted that

understanding individual intentions is critical. This will help us to analyze how an

individual will respond even before we act. For example, when we’re driving we all

anticipate what others may do because of experience. If an individual behinds you is

speeding up rather quickly, then you can assume that they are about to switch lanes, or you

can assume that they are in a rush and need to get somewhere quickly. Mead refers to this as

taking another individual’s role.