Learning Objectives

• discuss the role that behaviorism and pragmatism play in Mead's work;
• understand what Mead means by "the act" and the four different stages of the act: impulse, perception, manipulation and consummation;
• understand the importance of gestures in Mead's work, including significant symbols;
• discuss how the self develops during childhood through the play stage and the game stage;
• discuss what Mead means by the "I" and the "me" and compare and contrast these two concepts; and
• understand the role dialectical thinking plays in Mead's work.