Sympathetic introspection as method and practice: Cooley's contributions to critical qualitative inquiry and the theory of mind debate

Abstract

AbstractIn the work of Charles H. Cooley, sympathy is (1) a central subject matter of sociology and social psychology (as the faculty humans use to acquire knowledge of other humans), (2) a descriptive and explanatory method similar to “interpretive understanding,” and (3) an evaluative method used for social critique and arguments for social reforms (as the basis for making moral judgments). The latter feature of the value‐orienting qualitative method of sympathetic introspection is pertinent in light of discussions regarding the development of a critical qualitative methodology. The uniqueness of Cooley's method, when compared to value‐neutral approaches in the interpretive tradition, is its theoretically‐ and methodologically‐grounded license for social scientific thinking to cultivate concern for the people it studies, with the following practical implication: arguments for social reforms rooted in a form of knowledge that embeds individuals in the social whole. Further, Cooley's notion of sympathy contributes to the theory of mind debate by theorizing both a philosophical‐anthropological and sociological foundation for attributing mental states to others in order to participate in social action.