Yleistynyt toinen ja muuttuva yhteiskunta – G. H. Meadin ajatuksia ihmisen ja yhteiskunnan välisestä suhteesta
Keywords:
pragmatism, the theory of social act, the generalized other, social pedagogyAbstract
The generalized other and changing society – G. H. Mead’s thoughts on the relation between man and society George Herbert Mead’s works have been a subject of a wide scholarly interest in the social sciences both in Europe and in the United States during the last four decades. Mead is generally considered as one of the most important figures of the classical social theory. His views on human agency, the development of selfhood, and communication have opened up new theoretical dimensions for the study of human action. In this sense, his thinking contains interesting perspectives for social pedagogical theory and research on the fundamental questions of human development, growth and education. Mead examined education from a transformative standpoint, and underlined the role of school for the development of active citizenship. His thinking was based on the philosophical ideas of classical American pragmatism developed in the beginning of the 20th century, but Mead had a more social approach than the main figures of pragmatist thinking (Dewey, James, and Peirce). In this article, I analyse the meaning of Mead’s thinking for social pedagogical theory and research. The article pays special attention to Mead’s views on the role of the ”generalized other” and man’s growth as a member of a society. Furthermore, I introduce some new ideas related to neo-Meadian research based on Position Exchange Theory developed by Alex Gillespie and John Martin. This new approach underlines the point that individual’s ability to integrate various expectations to his action is fundamental for her or his sociality.
