Charles Horton Cooley was a sociologist who wanted to better understand society and human behavior. He believed that the influence of groups within a society had a strong impact on human behavior. In this lesson, we will discuss primary groups, the theory of the looking-glass self and the concept that one’s self and society are distinctly one unit, not two.

Why Cooley Studied Groups and Social Behavior

Charles Horton Cooley was a sociologist who wanted to better understand why human beings behave the way they do. One of Cooley’s most important contributions to sociology was his idea that by studying everyday social interactionsbetween people, one could begin to better understand why people behave as they do. This is the basis of the interactionist perspective of sociology. Cooley stated that to understand behavior, we must first understand the meanings humans attach to certain situations and, thus, the behavior that is taught to go along with that situation. He believed that societies shape the lives of the people who live within them.

Cooley’s major contribution to sociology was the study of primary groups. Cooley coined the term ‘primary group,’ meaning that this is the first group one is introduced to and is the most influential on our learning of ideas, beliefs and ideals. When observing society, Cooley noticed that the more a society became industrialized, the more individualistic the members became. He saw that the people became more distant from each other, more competitive and were losing the connection to traditional family values and that of community. It was through his study of primary groups that Cooley hoped to instill more social unity and cohesiveness.

While society has continued to evolve and change even at a more rapid pace, many of the social problems Cooley was concerned with still exist today. However, with Cooley’s research, we better understand the importance of social unity and society’s influence upon individuals.

Cooley’s Career

Born in 1864 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as a son of a Michigan Supreme Court Judge, Charles Horton Cooley grew up in a household where education was highly valued and with high expectations placed upon him by his ambitious father. 

In 1894, Cooley earned his PhD from the University of Michigan. In 1905, he founded the American Sociological Association and in 1907 became a full professor of sociology at the University of Michigan. He remained teaching at the university for his entire career. 

Primary Groups

Like many sociologists, Cooley wanted to understand society better. As mentioned earlier, Cooley found that the more advanced a society became, the more individualistic people became. He witnessed the breakdown of social cohesion and traditional family. He was convinced that it was the small, intimate groups which influenced behavior the most, and with a breakdown of these primary groups, we also had a breakdown of human behavior.

Cooley coined the term primary groups, which is defined as groups characterized by intimate, face-to-face association and cooperation. Primary groups come together for expressive reasons – to provide emotional support, love, companionship and security. It is through these groups that one begins to develop the sense of self…

https://study.com/academy/lesson/charles-horton-cooley-theory-microsociology.html

TL;DR – The Peoples Republic of Twitter and Facebook.gov’s entire fucking business model. Selling “targeted advertising” evolved into selling “targeted propaganda,” aka the “quantum internet”

Note: This link was added in 2021 – Malone goes into more detail about it.

https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/twitter-is-a-weapon-not-a-business