Learning, Knowledge and Human Development MOOC’s Updates

SOCIAL MIND

James Paul Gee, an American researcher, said that our mind is made up of words. Humans learn words, constituents of language, from their environment. James said that a language is a social event through which one sees and classifies the world. According to him, the mind is made of what we socially acquire from the environment.

Thus, James Paul’s concept emphasizes that since our language and thinking start developing in our lives, from that very moment, we start using our social mind to classify and respond to things and people around us.

The social mind means our reactions to several social situations in society. These social situations can constitute of interactions with co-workers, family members, neighbors, doctors, or any other being in one’s environment. The social mind reflects one’s interest in participating in society. These social abilities are non-genetical. The social mind aims to guide one regarding the acceptable form of behavior in social situations. For instance, if one is at a medical clinic, waiting for their turn, and suddenly an emergency case comes up, the doctor will attend to the emergency case primarily. In this situation, the doctor’s social mind guides him and suggests that the ideal behavior in that situation would involve attending an emergency case first. The social mind of the patients waiting for their appointments will tell them that they must not argue since the doctor’s action is justified.
Michelle Garcia Winner, a speech and language pathologist, learned about social cognition. She devised the term “Social Thinking.” She said social thinking guides on how to handle unexpected situations, several ways to problem solve in stressful situations, and become open-minded when faced with new information. Thus, social thinking is a process which all human beings go through in their mind as they try to make sense of their thoughts and others’ thoughts, feelings, emotions, and intentions. For example, while reading a literature book, watching a movie, or writing an e-mail, one uses these social thinking skills irrespective of the presence of others. This shows that when one is thinking or planning something in one’s head, such as deciding if a vase must be placed on a table or not, one is still engaged in social thinking. Despite the individual not speaking out the thoughts loudly, his thoughts are guided by social thinking.
According to Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, culture, and history play a vital role in how one develops. Human beings did not develop in a Cocoon or Skinner's books. He said one develops amongst people and the environment. Thus, people and the environment affect our development. The way one dresses up, speaks, or acts are influenced by their social thinking, which is, in fact, a product of one’s community and culture.

https://manhattanpsychologygroup.com/what-is-social-thinking/

https://www.nap.edu/read/24783/chapter/4#22

  • Mikita Puri
  • Meghna Barthwal