The looking-glass self is a concept developed by sociologist Charles Horton Cooley that emphasises the idea that our sense of self and identity is largely the product of our social interactions with others. According to this theory, we develop our self-concept by imagining how we appear to others, how they judge our appearance and behaviour, and then we develop our sense of self based on these imagined perceptions and evaluations. The looking-glass self involves three main components: first, we imagine how we appear to others; second, we imagine their judgment of that appearance; and third, we develop a feeling about ourselves (such as pride or shame) based on these imagined judgments. This theory highlights the social nature of self-identity and the crucial role of social interaction in shaping who we are.