A Study On Charles Horton Cooley' Communication Thoughts

Charles Horton Cooley is Well-known sociologists and social psychologists in early American, is the founder of modern American sociology, also is the founder, inaugurator and important influent of the Communication Studies in United States, for the first time,he interpret entirely and attentively communication is a important power and mean for impel to social progress. The object of this paper is sociology minds and communication thoughts which were posed by a famous theorist called Charles Horton Cooley. This paper employs the text studies attempting to make some values on his thoughts, based on introduction, arrangement of three parts:the theoretical foundation of communication thoughts, connotation of communication thoughts, the contribution to breaking view of traditional communication studies and the reference to Chinese communication studies.In terms of ideological root, Charles Horton Cooley has covered the most extensive field of different disciplines, he was influenced by Darwinism, and absorb in observing his children, all kinds of literature and history; he accept evolutionism of Dewey, also influenced by social identity mind of William James. After taste all thoughts, he criticize deeply to idea of Spencer. He thinks that communication is an important power which is impel to Personal socialization and social progress.From the content, in order to reveal what impacts development of communication, Cooley's thoughts views relations among communication, Human Nature, social progress, medium evolution and Modern Media as its object and discusses these relations form a new perspective. He always constructs ideal communication system on the basis of the Social organism mind. He penetrating comprehends interpersonal communication and small group communication such as family and friend which is impelling to Personal socialization and social progress.From the effect, the communication thoughts of Cooley claim putting communication under Social organism, especially, refer to interpersonal communication and mind change in Personal socialization which undoubtedly offer a new piece of study area different form American communication rooted in the mainstream of empirical research and pessimistic view on communication of Frankfurt School, For our communication studies, Cooley's thoughts, either its theory or practice has important referent.