Revision summary
Yes: I and Me are central in Mead. Me is the organised attitudes of others, the self as object. I is the unpredictable response that allows novelty. Play, game, and generalised other form the Me. Blumer’s interactionism inherits the pair.
Model answer
Introduction
Yes. George Herbert Mead’s ‘I’ and ‘Me’ are central because they name how the self is both a social object and a spontaneous actor. Without them, his social behaviourism collapses into a one-way mirror of society.
Body
The Me
- The Me is the organised set of attitudes of others that the individual assumes.
- It is the self as object, formed in play, the game, and the generalised other.
- Charles Horton Cooley’s looking-glass is a cousin, but Mead stresses taking the role of the other in interaction.
The I
- The I is the response of the organism to the Me, never fully predictable.
- It is the source of novelty, impulse, and moral innovation.
Why they are central
- Mind, self, and society are one process. Language is the medium.
- Herbert Blumer’s symbolic interactionism rests on this duality: structure in the Me, agency in the I.
Limit
- The pair underplays material class and unconscious desire. It remains central for interactionist sociology.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD GO[Generalised other] --> ME[Me social object] ME --> I[I novel response] I --> ACT[Interaction] ACT --> GO
Conclusion
‘I’ and ‘Me’ are central terms. They explain how society enters the self and how the self can still surprise. Mead’s work is unintelligible without that pair.
Quick related
Students also ask
-
Does the collapse of functionalism and bankruptcy of Marxism coincide with the rupture of modernity? Discuss.
Next question on this syllabus topic (2018 · Q3(a)). View answer →
-
Is the Me just conformity?
It is social organisation of the self. The I can still break a routine.
-
Did Mead ignore society beyond talk?
He underplayed class. Institutions still appear as the generalised other.
PYQ trend
When UPSC asked this
Related PYQs from other years, newest first. Open a question to read it.
-
2018 · Q1(a) · Sociology GS 1 · 10 marks
The focal point of sociology rests on interaction. How do you distinguish it from common sense? -
2018 · Q3(a) · Sociology GS 1 · 20 marks
Does the collapse of functionalism and bankruptcy of Marxism coincide with the rupture of modernity? Discuss. -
2018 · Q3(b) · Sociology GS 1 · 15 marks
Define patriarchy. How does patriarchy manifest in interpersonal relations? -
2018 · Q4(a) · Sociology GS 1 · 20 marks
According to Marx, how are human beings alienated from their human potential and what does he suggest to change this? -
2018 · Q5(a) · Sociology GS 1 · 10 marks
Is the theory of cultural lag valid in present times? Discuss -
2018 · Q6(c) · Sociology GS 1 · 15 marks
Explain with examples, the explanatory and exploratory designs of social research. -
2018 · Q7(c) · Sociology GS 1 · 15 marks
What, according to Pareto, are the basic characteristics of elites? Discuss. -
2017 · Q1(a) · Sociology GS 1 · 10 marks
Explain how sociology has emerged as a distinct discipline based on rationality and scientific tamper
More from this topic
Q8(c) · UPSC Mains 2025 · Sociology GS 1 · 10 marks
In what way does queer kinship challenge the traditional kinship system? Substantiate by giving illustrations
Sociology
Traditional kinship canonically runs on descent, marriage alliance and binary gendered terms. Queer kinship organises care, parenthood and belonging beyond that monopoly. Weston’s chosen families and Schneider’s critique of blood as symbol are theoretical anchors. Indian hijra gharanas illustrate initiation-based relatedness outside the patriline. Law often still privileges conjugal heterosexual kinship, which is part of the challenge. The point is that kinship is done through practice, not only inherited as blood.
Q8(a) · UPSC Mains 2025 · Sociology GS 1 · 20 marks
What do you understand by sustainable development? Discuss the elements of sustainable development as proposed in the UNDP's Sustainable Development Goals Report-2015
Sociology
Brundtland defined sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising the future. The 2015 SDG agenda, reflected in UNDP reporting, treats that as a multi-goal programme. Five elements—people, planet, prosperity, peace, partnership—organise the set. Seventeen goals join poverty and inequality to climate, cities, work and institutions. Sociology stresses unequal needs, risk distribution and weak institutions. The agenda is a frame for development, not an automatic achievement.
Q6(a) · UPSC Mains 2025 · Sociology GS 1 · 20 marks
What is science? Do you think that the methods used in natural sciences can be applied to sociology? Give reasons for your answer
Sociology
Science means systematic, public, criticisable knowledge, not only lab hardware. Positivists apply observation, measurement and comparison to social regularities. Limits include meaning, ethics of experiment, values and the double hermeneutic. Kuhn and feminists complicate even the natural-science side of the contrast. The judged answer is qualified yes: use the tools, drop the closed-system fantasy. Sociology remains a science of an open, interpreted world.
Toppers' copies
Toppers' copies for this question will be uploaded soon.