In George Herbert Mead’s stages of child socialization, which role follows the preparatory stage, where children imitate actions?
a. Generalized other – able to feel empathy and understand how others view them.
b. Language – this is the limited timespan during which language skills are developed.
c. Game – understanding multiple roles. For example, teacher, student, principal.
d. Play – taking on a specific role. For example, “I’m the teacher.”
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is d. Play.
In George Herbert Mead’s theory of child socialization, the play stage follows the preparatory stage, where children imitate actions. Mead suggested that children develop their self-concept through a series of stages, which are essential for understanding how individuals become social beings.
In the preparatory stage, which typically occurs during infancy, children primarily engage in imitation. They mimic the actions and behaviors of adults or others around them, but at this point, they do not fully grasp the meanings or roles associated with those actions. This stage lays the foundation for future socialization by familiarizing children with the actions they observe.
Once children progress to the play stage, they begin to take on specific roles. They understand that certain behaviors and actions are associated with particular roles in society. For example, a child may pretend to be a teacher, student, or parent. In this stage, children are not yet able to understand multiple roles simultaneously, but they begin to grasp the concept of role-taking, where they assume the perspective of a single role at a time. This is crucial for the development of empathy and understanding social interactions.
The game stage, which follows the play stage, involves a deeper understanding of multiple roles. Children learn to consider the perspectives of others simultaneously and understand the complex interactions between roles within a social system. This stage is vital for the development of a more advanced self-concept, as children learn to navigate the expectations and actions of various social roles.
The generalized other, a key concept in Mead’s theory, refers to the broader societal norms and values that children learn and internalize as they grow older. This stage typically emerges after the game stage when individuals can understand how they fit into the larger society.
In summary, after the preparatory stage of imitation, the play stage is where children begin to understand specific roles and take on the perspective of others in a more focused way.