The generalized other represents the collection of roles and attitudes that people use as a reference to figure out how to behave in any particular situation.

It is the general notion that a person has of the common expectations that others may have about actions and thoughts within a particular society, and thus serves to clarify their relation to the other as a representative member of a shared social system.

Definition of Generalized Other (noun) George Herbert Mead’s (1863–1931) term for expected behaviors, norms, and values considered the standard in one’s community or society; “what is expected of you”.

George Herbert Mead was a philosopher and sociologist who helped create the ideas of socialization, symbolic interactions, and “The Generalized Other.” The Generalized Other is an individual’s understanding of a society’s expectations. You may create a Generalized Other to understand how people who belong to certain groups may behave.

Search for: 'generalized other' in Oxford Reference » A general model of the status, behaviour, and attitudes associated with particular social roles which is internalized by the individual as part of socialization and forms the basis of expectations in social interaction and the individual's own performance of roles.