社会行動論と自我の問題(続) : 自我の倫理学研究ノート(四)
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概要
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Heretofore we have clarified the meaning of the so-called 'social behaviorism' of G. H. Mead. Now we can consider our main subject, that is, the problems of the self. First of all, from the viewpoint of Mead, the self is not so much a substance as a process. And this process of the self does not exist for itself, but it is simply a phase of the whole social organization, of which the individual is a part. However, if we regard the self as a process, we have to resolve the problem of the mechanism of the self, namely, how it does emerge. To answer this problem, Mead states that the self emerges form social processes, that is, it starts from an organic being, but it becomes a human self through its social experiences. Therefore, the main thrust of his theory is the analysis of those experiences gained by the self. It seems that several fundamental concepts and conceptions in his theory are basically constructed in order to clarify the significance of those experiences of the self. First, the well known concept of 'role-taking' as well as that of 'game' and 'play,' are introduced with the intention of showing the social background, in which human beings can form their selves through organizing the roles and attitudes of others. Mead insists that we organize not only the attitudes of many other individuals, but also those of the social group as a 'whole'. Here we get one of the most famous concepts in his theory, namely, that of 'the generalized other.' Under this concept which he calls organized community gives to the individual his unity of the self. However, from our viewpoint, the most important and interesting concepts are those of 'I' and 'me.' Mead states that these twin concepts denote two aspects of the self, and that it is important to recognize the positive role of 'I,' because 'I' is certainly a subject of human actions. Though we cannot help but define the character of 'I' as uncertain, we think that a human being can be an agent of free actions and a subject of moral responsibility because of the uncertainty of 'I.' Thus, through the positive function of 'I,' the individual self plays a creative part in complicated social processes in spite of its dependency on the whole society. In other words, social groups are dramatically reconstructed and reorganized by individuals, who act with common behavioral patterns without loss of originality. In consequence, in Meadian theory, the realization of the self in society means the self-realization of the 'I,' through which novelties are brought out, and the society implied by the 'me' can be reorganized. Mead calls this mechanism dynamism or the dynamic relationship between 'I' and 'me,' that is, the relational interaction between individual agents and social processes or situations. Now, in that relationship, we see that human values, not only those of the self but also thse of groups and societies, are realized, therefore, the reconstruction of communities and the liberation of individuals can be achieved.
- 東京女子大学の論文
- 2001-09-21