The capacity to step outside of oneself and treat oneself as an object in one’s environment, and to act toward oneself, is what Mead called:

• A. the self
• B. the I
• C. the Me
• D. the looking-glass self

Answer: (A)

This describes the Me. In Mead’s framework, the self has two parts: the I and the Me. The I is the spontaneous, active side of the self—the “you” that acts. The Me is the self as object—the internalized attitudes of others and the ability to view and treat yourself from the social standpoint. When you step back from your own impulses, observe yourself as an object in your environment, and act toward yourself based on that perspective, you’re engaging the Me. The looking-glass self is a different concept from Cooley, focusing on how others’ reactions shape self-image, not on the internal division of the self into observer and observed. The self as a whole is broader, but this specific capacity aligns with the Me.