Charles H. Cooley's Looking Glass Theory

Culture is an identity of a group of people. It can extend to customs, beliefs, and traditions. It is estimated that there are about 500 unique cultures on earth (Introduction to Sociology, 2016). Although we are all human beings, that are innumerable factors that make us different from one another. In order for children to be introduced to these cultures, they must go through socialization. Socialization is the process in which people are taught to be proficient members of society (Ron Hammond, 2015). Culture is introduced at a young age and each culture has a set of rules and norms that are incorporated within them. Interactions with other people is what lead to forming a culture. Without any kind of human interactions, we would not know how to act and when to do it. We would have no sense of self without interactions with other people. Charles H. Cooley developed the looking glass theory to help understand our self-concept. The theory uses a mirror as a metaphor for reflecting upon the actions and

This is called ethnocentrism and can lead to a stronger connection within one’s own culture. By comparing different cultures, a sense of pride can form for your own traditions that may differ from other cultures. However, when talking about an ideal society this can cause some issues. An ideal society would be different for every culture. There are some universal aspects of culture, but they often differ in countless other ways. In order for a perfect society to exist, everyone must get along with each other. Assimilation must be avoided so nobody losses what makes them unique. Ideally every culture would bring something unique to the table and live together in harmony. Not everyone can be so accepting yet though, so problems still exist. In fact, even within just one culture an ideal society may not be