As the caretaker coos and murmurs addressing a "you," the infant will simply begin to differentiate (separate) itself, to see itself as being that "you." This is what is meant when the sociologist speaks of the human mind taking itself as an object; the infant can reflect on the "you" which is itself (Hess, Markson, and Stein, 1982, 121).
The individual must then determine precisely who or what this "you" is. The idea of this entity as the social self was first introduced to American social science by psychologist William James, and he stated that a person has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize that person and who can carry an image of him or her in their minds. The self is thus not some abstract essence but is rooted in social interaction. Individuals are linked to their society through their self-concept, and the "I" is the one who acts and believes and feels in a manner that has
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