ABSTRACT
Sociology is not only engaged in attempts to explain group dynamics, social structures, and social change; it also focuses on the individual. A fundamental question in sociology is: why do social actors act the way they do? Another topic frequently found in recent sociological theory is the individual’s view of self and how this view is formed, maintained, and changed. The sociological study of the individual emphasizes that ideas, pictures of self, and actions are affected by the social context. For example, sociology will argue that an individual’s view of self is based on her or his interaction with others. A classical theorist here is George Herbert Mead (see Section 3.6).
