Sociology

Mead argued that the social self develops through interaction with others, as we learn to interpret other people’s behaviour and to monitor our own through their reactions to us. In childhood, this begins with symbolic play and games, through which the child learns to ‘take the role of the other’ towards him or herself. Eventually, we are able to imagine how the ‘generalized other’ would interpret our actions, and can change our behaviour to either confirm or confound their expectations. 127-128

Warner set out to compare race and citizenship in a typical southern city and a typical northern city in the USA. He found that whereas the northern city was relatively open and tolerant, Natchez, in the south, showed a sharp horizontal ‘caste’ divide between the dominant white population and the black population. He called this the ‘colour line’. 210-213

In a survey of political attitudes in the 1960s, Butler & Stoke found a high level of support for the Labour Party amongst their working class respondents. They argued that this was not a reflection of individuals making rational choices about their individual interests, changing cultural values and lifestyles, or false consciousness, but rather the way in which working class people were socialized into the values of the Labour Party through their families and communities. 827