Table of Contents
Definition of Looking-glass Self
(noun) An individual’s conception of how they appear to others.
Looking-glass Self Pronunciation
Syllabification: look·ing glass self
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /lUk-ing-glAs sElf/
- British English – /lUk-ing-glahs sElf/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈlʊkɪŋ-glæs sɛlf/
- British English – /ˈlʊkɪŋglɑːs sɛlf/
Usage Notes
- Plural: looking-glass selves
- Term coined by Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929).
Additional Information
- Role Theory Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “looking” and “glass” and “self” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Cooley, Charles Horton. 1909. Social Organization: A Study of the Larger Mind. New York: Scribner.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Looking-glass Self
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “looking-glass self.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 15, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/looking-glass-self/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
looking-glass self. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/looking-glass-self/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “looking-glass self.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/looking-glass-self/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“looking-glass self.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/looking-glass-self/>.