G. H. Mead's original role-concept and its later distortions

Abstract

In the social psychology of the ‘60s the notion of role probably enjoyed the greatest popularity besides that of attitude. Although this popularity has markedly decreased by the ‘90s, role theories still have a substantial influence on the thinking of social science. When pondering the viability of the scientific notion, one does well to recount the history of how it was spread and transferred with special regard to the original role concept of G. H. Mead, the father of symbolic interactionism. As the author’s historical and theoretical analysis reveals, just in the period when the popularity of the role concept was at its peak, the context in which role phenomena were examined, were significantly more superficial than Mead’s original attempts at its interpretation. This enabled deepening of the relation between role and action. Neglecting this has meant that social psychology and sociology have practically severed themselves from the one possibility of better understanding of changes of roles and the emergence of new roles.