30/05/2025
This brilliant quote by Charles Horton Cooley captures the idea of the "Looking-Glass Self" — a powerful concept in sociology and psychology.
Meaning:
Cooley suggests that our self-image isn’t formed just by how we see ourselves or how others see us, but by how we think others see us.
In other words, we imagine how others perceive us, and then we shape our identity based on that imagined perception.
Broken down:
- "I'm not who I think I am" – Our self-view is limited.
- "I'm not who you think I am" – Others’ actual opinions are different from what we assume.
- "I am what I think you think I am" – We build our identity based on our perception of others' views.
Our sense of self is often a reflection of imagined judgments. So it's important to build self-worth from within, rather than relying too much on assumptions about how others see us.