| The subject of this doctoral dissertation is On the George Herbert Mead's Theory of Self. There is six parts in this dissertation: preface, first—fourth chapter and a conclusion.In the preface, I summarize the reason that I select this subject and the study status in quo on Mead's theory. Western scholars have argued ever since from Descartes at the foundation of schism between subject and object. Empiricists' experiences are atomic and insular and have nothing to do with humans' action. Mead thought this precondition is untenable. Rationalists also have brought forward their theories about self. Neither Empiricists nor rationalists had shown the original and development of self, they all thought existence of self is self-evident. Western scholars have put forward many different theories about self, the reason consisting in the importance of this question. Among the theories, Mead's theory of self is very unique and had larger values. Mead's theory got over many difficulties other theories have not conquered.In the first chapter, I summarize the road Mead had gone and the origin of his thought. In Mead's days, science have not broken into many pieces as today. In other words, Mead was a encyclopaedian scholar. Then I summarize many theories about self influencing Mead , others omitted here are put in the pertaining chapters.In the second chapter, I clarify a few concepts that are very important and with ambiguities in Mead's theory. They are concepts of role-taking and the functional identity of response and stimulus, etc.In the third chapter, I systematically set forth Mead's theory about mind. The essential nature of self is that one individual can see him from the eyes of others in the community he lives in. It's evident that one can't think himself as his object without mind, so Mead's theory of mind is the indiscerptible part in his theory of self.In the fourth chapter, I analyze Mead's theory of the origin and the development of self in the human's action. Self consists in two interknitted and interacting parts, the two being "I" and "Me". The "I" is active and motile aspect in self, while the "Me" is relatively steady-going conservative aspect. There are two stages in the development of self: play and game. At the play stage, the individual takes the roles of the other in turn, while at the game stage, the individual takes the roles of all the others involved in action. At the play stage, children haven't developed a maturated personality as at the game stage.In the conclusion chapter, I evaluate gain and loss of Mead's theory, and the influence on thoughts of today. |
