What is the looking-glass self in simple terms?

We form our self-image by imagining how others see us.

Do others' judgements fix our self-concept?

Research suggests what we think others think matters more than their actual views.

Looking-Glass Self

🧠 Psychology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 27, 2026

The looking-glass self is the idea that people form their self-concept by imagining how they appear to others, imagining how others judge that appearance, and feeling pride or shame in response. Charles Horton Cooley introduced it in 1902.

Contents

1. Cooley's three steps
2. Interactionist development
3. Evidence
4. FAQ
5. References

Cooley's three steps

Cooley (1902) described imagining our appearance to others, imagining their judgement and feeling pride or mortification, so the self arises in social relations.

Interactionist development

Mead (1934) grounded symbolic interactionism in role-taking, and Kinch (1963) formalized the idea. It is discussed alongside self-perception theory and social comparison theory.

Evidence

Shrauger and Schoeneman (1979) found self-views track perceived more than actual appraisals. Felson (1985) and Yeung and Martin (2003) tested the model, and Leary and Baumeister (2000) treated self-esteem as a sociometer.

FAQ

What is the looking-glass self in simple terms?: We form our self-image by imagining how others see us.
Do others' judgements fix our self-concept?: Research suggests what we think others think matters more than their actual views.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

Cooley, C. H. (1902). Human nature and the social order. Charles Scribner's Sons. The book that introduced the concept.
Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society. University of Chicago Press. Self formed by taking the attitude of others.
Kinch, J. W. (1963). A formalized theory of the self-concept. American Journal of Sociology, 68(4), 481–486. Formalizes the idea into testable propositions.
Shrauger, J. S., & Schoeneman, T. J. (1979). Symbolic interactionist view of self-concept: Through the looking glass darkly. Psychological Bulletin, 86(3), 549–573. Review: self-views track perceived more than actual appraisals.
Felson, R. B. (1985). Reflected appraisal and the development of self. Social Psychology Quarterly, 48(1), 71–78. Tests reflected appraisals' effects.
Yeung, K.-T., & Martin, J. L. (2003). The looking glass self: An empirical test and elaboration. Social Forces, 81(3), 843–879. A network-based empirical test.
Leary, M. R., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). The nature and function of self-esteem: Sociometer theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 32, 1–62. Self-esteem as a gauge of acceptance.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

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Symbolic interactionismSymbolic interactionism: Blumer’s three premises, Mead’s I and Me, Cooley’s looking-glass self, the Thomas theorem, Goffman and labeling theory, compared with functionalism and conflict theory.👥 Sociology Self-perception theoryWhat is self-perception theory? Daryl Bem’s 1972 account of inferring attitudes from our own behavior, how it differs from cognitive dissonance theory, the overjustification effect, foot-in-the-door, and practical uses for habits and study.🧠 Psychology Self-esteemWhat self-esteem is, William James’s formula, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965), how it differs from self-efficacy and narcissism, the Baumeister et al. (2003) review, and evidence-informed ways to build healthy self-esteem.🧠 Psychology Social Comparison TheorySocial comparison theory explained: Leon Festinger's (1954) idea that without objective standards people evaluate their abilities and opinions by comparing themselves with others. Covers the similarity hypothesis, upward and downward comparison, schadenfreude and social media.🧠 Psychology

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This article was last updated on October 27, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.