Bio Paper: Charles Cooley – Body Image
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Body Image Essay #2 When asked to describe yourself how do you respond? From where do you gather the information to answer that question? Charles Cooley explains that the way we see ourselves is by what others see of us. There are many ways to find out how people see you and the way Charles explains it can be one way but, there are other ways to find out. Charles gives us his opinion on what he thinks is the way we see ourselves but, is his method correct? The act of finding yourselves and knowing who you are in this world and with other people should not all be based upon what those other people think. Knowing who are is based upon your self and knowing who you are by asking yourself and your own journey to find out. Even though I disagree with what Charles Cooley is saying but, he does have strong counter arguments to my thinking. The reflection on how we see ourselves in front of our peers can mean a lot. For instance trying to fit in with people you just meet and for you to fit in you have to adjust yourself, some of the things you do, the things you like. You have to do all of that just to be liked and make friends. For jobs as well you have to be able to see yourself in the reflection of your boss and you have to be able to be someone he’s going to want working for him.
In Charles Cooley’s quote “ Our sense of ourselves is formed by our imagination of the way we appear in the eyes of others. Other people are looking glass in which we see not merely on our own reflection but a judgment about the value of that reflection” ( Elements of argument 722) there are many ways to interpret it. For example, “ our sense of ourselves is formed by out imagination of the way we appear in the eyes of others” to me means that we dont really know what other people see me as or think of me so we are just imagining what they are thinking of me or how they portray me as. Mr. Cooley believes that by imagining ourselves how other people see us will get us to know who we really are in the face of our peers. Mr. Cooley makes great points in his quote about how he thinks that the definition of ourself image comes from our imagination and how other people choose to see us. But in my opinion I dont believe all that to be that true. I do agree with the fact that our imagination to be used to find out how other people see us but, using other people as a reflection to view ourselves is not an agreeable opinion. The way yourself should not be completely based upon how other see you or think of you. Of course its going to matter a little bit cause other people can have crucial points about you that can positively affect you and your life. But sometimes people dont always say the truth about you and have hurtful things to say about you. Yes this is helpful to but sometimes what they say about you or see you as isnt always correct. This is why I disagree with Mr. Cooley’s method on finding yourself in what other people think of you.