ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with Charles H. Cooley in the double sense of addressing past oblivions or misinterpretations, and reflecting on his contemporary relevance. Cooley's theory is cited as a starting point for theorizing contemporary research, particularly in sociology, social psychology, and related fields. Cooley's leads for sociology can easily reach the level of generalization that characterizes some of the most transversal understandings of the contemporary world. In the socio-technological context, a sociology centered on the way in which people imagine how they are seen by others—looking-glass selves—takes a new dimension. Cooley downplayed, however, the associated set of devices aiming at controlling the information thus produced, and how this information affects what individuals can see through their "looking-glass". Thought management is at the core of many processes sociologists study from the beginning of their discipline, such as social mobility and self-control mental health issues or reference groups.
