Charles Cooley's The Looking Glass Self

Sensation is a large part of self-identification. It is what allows for experience and perception. Without the ability to sense, one would feel disembodied, and estranged from their own person. There are five commonly referred to sensory modalities, which include; vision, audition, haptics, gustation and olfaction. However there is another sense, a “secret sense” which is so automatic it often goes unnoticed. Thus many don’t realize the importance of such a sense in understanding one’s reality and individual identity. We all have sensors throughout our bodies which tell us the location of our body parts and what they are doing. As stated by Dr. Jim Davies of Carleton University, when these sensors are diminished and no longer work properly, …show more content…
Dr. Sacks talks about the loss of self that is accompanied with a loss of proprioception, a loss of identity as well as individuality. He refers to proprioception as “The fundamental organic mooring of identity”. Meaning that without the ability to feel and recognize our bodies as our own, we no longer have any security in who we are and what we are capable of doing. Charles Cooley is well known for his theory of The Looking Glass Self, which hypothesizes that people often see themselves the way that they believe others are perceiving them. With such hidden disorders, often people are insensitive and unsympathetic to what they cannot see. This creates even further frustration in a patient and how they view themselves. They often feel as if they have been outcast from society and begin to doubt whether they had even been ‘normal’ in the first place. Patients such as Christina, who have lost their sense of proprioception, have also lost their sense of identity and individuality. This loss of proprioception creates an inner feeling of dehumanization and disrupts their once secure hold of personal