An anthropological conceptualization of self: the self as embedded in culture

 Considered as one of the most complex areas of discipline, has explored various meanings of
culture, self, and identity in the desire to come up with a better understanding of the self

British anthropologist Edward Tylor defines culture as “…that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man
as a member of society.

 culture is not behavior itself but the shared understandings that guide behavior and are
expressed in behavior.

 German anthropologist Martin Sökefeld believes that the concept of self is a necessary
supplement to the concept of culture in anthropology and should be regarded as a human
universal.

 Identity is understood as a disposition of basic personality features acquired mostly during

childhood and, once integrated, more or less fixed. (Sökefeld, 1999).

 Peacock (1986) believes that the individual is neither a robot nor an entirely independent
self-willed little god but a cultural individual – existing in freedom but also embodying that
cultural mold in which he is cast in his particular society and historical epoch.

 Peacock (1986) believes that the individual is neither a robot nor an entirely independent
self-willed little god but a cultural individual – existing in freedom but also embodying that
cultural mold in which he is cast in his particular society and historical epoch.

2 Ways in which the Concept of Self is viewed in different societies:

 Egocentric – the self is seen as an autonomous and distinct individual. Each person is
defined as a replica of all humanity but capable of acting independently from others.

 Sociocentric – the self is contingent on a situation or social setting. It has a context-

dependent self view which emphasized that there is no intrinsic self that can possess
enduring qualities.

Identity Toolbox

 Kinship

 Gender

 Age

 Ethnicity

 Personal appearance

 Socioeconomic status
Social Identity Determinants

 Family membership – the most significant feature to determine a person’s social identity.

 Language – often viewed as essential for the maintenance of a group identity.

 Religious affiliation – is an important marker of group identity in some societies.

 Personal naming – a universal practice with numerous cross-cultural variations, establishes a

child’s birthright and social identity.

 Personal names in all societies represent the self.

 A name is an important device to individualize a person and legitimize him/

her as a member of a social group such as a family. A person’s name may
symbolically represent his/ her cultural self.

Rites of Passage

 A ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone’s life.

 Arnold van Gennep believes that changes in one’s status and identity are marked by
a three-phased rite of passage:

 Separation phase – people detach from their former identity to another.

 Liminality phase – a person transitions from one identity to another.

 Incorporation phase – the change in one’s status is officially incorporated.

Identity struggles

 Anthony Wallace and Raymond Fogelson coined the term “identity struggles” to
characterize interaction in which there is a discrepancy between the identity a person claims
to possess and the identity attributed to that person by others.

Attainment of Self-Identification

 Golubovic (2011) suggests that in order to attain self-identification, individuals have to

overcome many obstacles such as traditionally established habits and externally imposed
self-images.

 Cognitive Anthropologists suggest that self-identification may be attained by overcoming

traditional practices or through internalizing divergent cultural models and suppressing any
conflicting self-representations.

 Katherine Ewing’s “Illusion of Wholeness” exhibits how individual selves throughout the
world continuously reconstitute themselves into new selves in response to internal and
external stimuli.
The Self as Embedded in Culture

Clifford Geertz

 an American anthropologist who defines culture as a system of inherited conceptions

expressed in symbolic form by means of which people communicate, perpetuate, and
develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life.

 For him, the concept of culture has its impact on the concept of man.

 Man is defined by his genetic potentials shaped into actual accomplishments which is made
possible by culture.

 Emphasizes the human nature is interdependent with culture. “Without men, no culture,
certainly; but equally and more significantly, without culture, no men.”

The Self as Embedded in Culture:

Robbins (2012)

 He considered human beings as cultural animals as they create the meaning of objects,
persons, behaviors, emotions, and events, and behave in accordance with meanings they
assume to be true.

 Believes that cultural differences exist when groups of people assign different meanings to
different life events and things. Hence, the self is embedded in culture.

Sociology

- Refers to the scientific study of social groups and human

relationships

Sociological Perspective of the Self

- A view of oneself is formed through interactions with other people,

groups, or social institutions.

Charles Horton Cooley

- was an American sociologist who Introduced the looking-glass self

to highlight that the people whom a person interacts with become a
mirror in which he or she views himself or herself.

George Herbert Mead

was an American philosopher, sociologist, and Just like Cooley, he supports the view that a person
develops a sense of self through social interaction and not the biological preconditions of that
interaction

▰ Social Self Theory is based on the perspective that the self emerges from social interactions,
such as:

▰ observing and interacting with others,

 ▰ responding to others’ opinions about oneself, &

▰ internalizing external opinions and internal feelings about oneself.

▰ He explained that the self has two divisions: the “I” and the “me”.

▰ There are three stage process that develops the self: preparatory, play, and games. – (Role-
taking)

Role-taking – the process when a person infers people’s intention or direction of action,
which may lead him or her to understand the world from others’ point of view.

George Herbert Mead:

The “I” and the “me”

▰ The “me” is considered the socialized aspect of the individual. The “me” represents learned
behaviors, attitudes, & expectations of others and of society.

▰ The “I”, therefore, can be considered the present and future phase of the self. The “I”
represents the individual’s identity based on response to the “me”

▰ The full development of the self is attained when the “I” and the “me” are united.

George Herbert Mead:

The Development of the Self Process

▰ Preparatory stage (0-3 yrs old) -  Children copy, or imitate, the behaviors of others around
them without sophisticated understanding of what they are imitating.

▰ Play stage (3-5 yrs old) -  Children start role-playing and taking on the role of significant
people in their lives. Children only take on one role at a time.

▰ Game stage (begins in the early school years; about 8 to 9 yrs old) – Children learn their role
in relation to others and how to take on the role of everyone else in a game.

The Self as a Product of

Modern & Postmodern Societies

Gerry Lanuza

▰ He believes that the attainment and stability of self identity are freely chosen in modern
societies and that is no longer restricted by customs and traditions.

▰ He noted that in postmodern societies, self-identity continuously changes due to the

demands of multitude of social contexts, new information technologies, and globalization.

Jean Baudrillard
(French Sociologist)

▰ According to him, the postmodern individuals achieve self-identity through prestige symbols
that they consume.
▰ He believes that consumption structures the postmodern society. E.g. Individuals seek for a
position in society through the quality of prestige symbols that they can afford to consume.

▰ He noted that the postmodern person has become an insatiable consumer and may never
be satisfied on his or her life.