Mead demonstrates how human consciousness isn't innate but develops through social interaction. He argues that our ability to think and reflect emerges from our social experiences and interactions with others, showing how language and symbolic communication are fundamental to mental development.

The theory explains how individuals develop their sense of self by internalizing the attitudes and perspectives of others. Through role-playing and social interaction, people learn to see themselves as both subject and object, developing what Mead terms the "I" and the "me" components of the self.

Mead elaborates on how human behavior and social organization are based on shared symbols and meanings. He shows how gestures, language, and other symbolic systems enable complex social coordination and the development of organized social behavior.