looking-glass self

American  

[look-ing-glas, -glahs] / ˈlʊk ɪŋˌglæs, -ˌglɑs /

noun

Sociology.

1. the self-image an individual forms by imagining what others think of their behavior and appearance.

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Example Sentences

“The whole idea of the ‘looking-glass self’ model of psychology is that we are who others see us as,” Campbell said.

From Washington Post

“As psychologists we talk about the looking-glass self,” Qualter says.

From The Guardian

It is thought that our identity is partly shaped by the way we are treated by other people - a concept psychologists call the "looking-glass self" - and our name has the potential to colour our interactions with society.

From BBC

Cooley's discriminating description of "the looking-glass self" offers a picture of the process by which the person conceives himself in terms of the attitudes of others toward him.

From Project Gutenberg

The reflected or looking-glass self seems to have three principal elements: the imagination of our appearance to the other person; the imagination of his judgment of that appearance; and some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification.

From Project Gutenberg