George Herbert Mead talked about the idea of the
self which he splits into two different categories, the “I” and the “Me”. The “I”
part of the self includes all of the thoughts that are going on inside one’s
head and/or the initial reaction to a social situation. Some could think of
this part of the self as the raw and unfiltered you. In contrast, the “Me” part
of the self is the you that is presented after your thoughts are filtered
through. One could look at the “Me” side as the side that you present to your
professors or bosses at work.
I believe that we all show both sides of our Me’s
and I’s but I agree with Mean in that it is definitely a situational thing. For
example, I am not the type of person to confront a roommate if something minute
that they are doing is bothering me. I tend to hold those feelings in, and only
present the “Me” side of me to the particular roommate that is bothering me.
But on the other hand, the “I” side of me will come out when I vent to my
boyfriend or another roommate about the issue. My thoughts are not filtered
when I complain about something that is bothering me, but I am notorious for
showing the happy and nice “Me” side to the person that is creating the problem
(which, I will admit, is a terrible character trait that I possess.)
I think that this idea still exists today in a large
way, and everyone shows both of their sides, but only certain people can see
their sides. I think it is just an interesting concept because it is all
actually kind of obvious, but it doesn’t become obvious until you sit down and
just think about the idea. I know that I for sure filter my true and raw
thoughts before I say something to someone, even if that thing that I am saying
isn’t something mean or rude.
The picture that I picked to go along with this blog
could be taken as a funny representation of the “I” and the “Me” having to
interact. I dissected the picture by seeing that the women is telling her
husband that she doesn’t care if he acts crazy and wild with his own friends
(showing that he would be displaying his “I” side) but around her friends she
wants him to act nothing like his true self (showing the “Me” side of himself).
Even though it does not line up perfectly, I think that this is a great and funny
example of how one person can and certainly does possess both sides of the self
that Mead talked about.
I thought you had a good description of the "I" and the "Me" and it was really easy to understand. It was also good that you used the example with your room ate to better understand this theory. I also enjoyed the picture and thought it was a perfect model of the "I" and the "Me."
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on that we all use our I and ME at different times, and many of us monitor/filter our thoughts before we speak out loud to people. I think this is just a part of being polite. Personally, I choose my friends very wisely because I don't like to have to watch what I say or how I say it in front of my close friends. I don't like the feeling of being judged. I don't consider people who I cannot show my "I" to a true friend. I think that is Mead's whole idea is that our I is very intimate and only shared with people who we can trust our true thoughts with, such as your boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteNice work. I thought your explanation of the concepts was great! I definitely agree that the use between I and Me is situational and can normally be controlled, and not necessarily always in a healthy way. It's interesting to consider how we filter ourselves and only let certain people see certain sides. I know I definitely do this. Good thoughts, I enjoyed this post.
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