Which sociologist developed the 'looking-glass self' concept?

• A. Karl Marx
• B. Charles Cooley
• C. Max Weber
• D. Emile Durkheim

Answer: (B)

Self-concept formation through imagining how others perceive us. The looking-glass self, proposed by Charles Cooley, holds that our sense of who we are develops from social interactions and the way we imagine others' judgments of us. We first imagine how we appear to others, then imagine their evaluation of that appearance, and finally experience pride or shame based on that imagined judgment. This idea is central to symbolic interactionism, highlighting how the self is built through social processes. The other thinkers listed focus on different aspects of society: Karl Marx emphasized economic structures and class conflict, Max Weber analyzed rationalization and the meanings of social action, and Emile Durkheim studied social facts and social cohesion.