Differences And Similarities Between Cooley And Lewis Coser

As humans we have always found ways to group ourselves together somehow, whether if be gathering together to hunt large game for nutrition, or finding someone with similar qualities to befriend, we always search for ways to relate with others. In the article by William James, Charles Horton Cooley, and Lewis Coser, the ways humans group together in social contexts are compared and contrasted. The passages by William James and Charles Horton Cooley explain how people need to be included in some form of institution to feel a solid sense of “social self” and social nature of different groups. In Coser’s article, he talks about greedy institutions which ask for total exclusiveness from their members to the institution. James’ and Cooley’s passages support Coser’s idea of greedy institutions by bringing together James’ idea of social needs for attentions and inclusion and Cooley’s idea of self-perceptions, to the desire for an intense group mindset.

Followed by stating when people go unnoticed, they attempt to receive any type of attention even if the attention they are receiving is negative and potentially abusive. This idea of leaning towards extremes for attention plays into Coser’s idea of greedy institutions. Greedy Institutions aim to weaken the ties between individuals and other institutions to obtain total loyalty (Coser). If people need to be noticed to feel complete (James), theses extremes may also happen to become part of a greedy institution, like a sorority or fraternity or an extreme religious group. This idea brings to light the question of what types of people join into theses extremely exclusive groups. Do they really feel the need to be connected to someone bad enough to remove themselves from all other groups? Do they feel isolated, with no one to turn to? Do they feel