CHAPTER 1: DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL

PERSPECTIVES ON SELF AND IDENTITY

Lesson 2:
The Self, Society and Culture

Intended Learning Outcome

At the end of this lesson, the learner will be able to

1. Can examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape the self;
2. Explain the relationship between and among self, society and culture;
3. Describe and discuss the different ways by which society and culture shape the
self;
4. Compare and contrast how the self can be influenced by the different institutions
in the society; and
5. Examine one’s self against the different views of self that were discussed.

Introduction
In the previous lesson, we discussed and learned how different western
philosophers presented their different ideology towards. As times goes by, the study towards
self is not merely focus on its components such as body and soul or mind, rather, it focuses
on how does the external environment affects the “self”.

Discussions
Steven (1996), discussed different definitions of self. Below is the list of definitions of
Stevens as to Self:
 Self as separate. It means that the self is distinct from other selves. It is always
unique and has its own identity.
 Self as self- contained and independent. It means that in itself it can exist.
 Self as consistent. It means that a particular self-trait, characteristics, and
potentials are more or less the same.
 Self as unitary. It means that it is the center of all experiences and thoughts that
run through a certain person. It is like the chief command post in an individual
where all processes, emotions and thoughts converge.
 Self as private. It means that the whole process is never accessible to anyone
but the self.

- The self is isolated from external world. It lives with its own world.
- Understanding the relationship of self and the external reality is known as the
social constructionist perspective.
- Social constructionists argue for a merge view of ‘the person’ and ‘their social
context’ where the boundaries of one cannot be separated to the boundaries of
the other. (Steven, 1996)
- Social constructionists argue that the self should not be seen static entity that
stays constant through and through. Rather, the self has to be seen as something
that is unceasing flux, in constant struggle with external reality and is malleable in
its dealings with society. The self is always in participation with social life and
its identity subjected to influences here and there.
Self and Culture
- According to a French anthropologist, Marcel Mauss, every self has two faces:
personne and moi.
o Moi- refers to a person’s sense of who he is, his body and his identity.
o Personne- is composed of social concepts of what it means to be who he
is.
- Language is another interesting aspect of social constructivism. Language may
be different across culture, even on how it is being presented to others.

The Self and the Development of the Social World

- Every person is involved in developing his own world.
- Recent studies indicate that men and women in their growth and development
engage actively in shaping of the self.
- The unending terrain of metamorphosis of the self is mediated by language.
- Language as a both publicly shared and privately utilized symbol system is
the site where the individual and the social make and remake each other.
(Schwartz, White and Lutz, 1993)
- For Mead and Vygotski, human persons develop with the use of language
acquisition and interaction with others.
- Cognitive emotional development is always a mimicry of how it is done in the
social world, in the external reality where he is in.
- Both Vygotsky and Mead treat the human mind as something that is made,
constituted through language as experienced in the external world and as
encountered in dialogue with others.

Self in Families
- The kind of family that we are born in and the
resources available to us (human, spiritual and
economic) will certainly affect us the kind of
development that we will have as we go through life.
- Human persons are one of those beings whose
importance of a family cannot be denied.
- In trying to achieve the goal of becoming a fully
realized human, a child enters a system of
relationship, most important of which is the family.
- Human persons learn the ways of living and their
selfhood by being in a family.
- Without a family, biologically and sociologically, a
person may not even survive or become a human.
(Tarzan Story)

Gender and the Self

- Gender is one of those loci of the self that is the subject to alteration, change and
development.
- People fought hard for the right to express validate, and assert their gender
expression.
- From the point of social sciences, it is important to give the leeway to find,
express and live in his identity.
- Oftentimes, society forces a particular identity unto us depending on our sex and
or gender.
- The gendered self is then shaped within a particular context of time and space.
- Gender has to personally discovered and asserted and not dictated by culture
and society.
Self in the Eastern Thought
Since we already discussed the theories of self in western thought in the previous
lesson, we will focus on the eastern thought. Below are the following Eastern thoughts;

Confucianism
- This thought is originated from Confucius in
China.
- This can be seen as a code of ethical
conduct, of how one should properly act to
their relationship with other people.
- The identity and self-concept therefore of
the individuals interwoven with the identity
and status of his/ her community or
culture, sharing its pride as well as its
failures (Ho, 1995).
- It focuses on having a harmonious social life or social relations.

Taoism
- This thought is originated from Lao Tsu.
- It is living on the way of Tao or the universe.
- Its teachings aim to describe how to attain that
life.
- The self is not just an extension of the family or
the community; it is part of the universe, one of the
forms and manifestation of Tao.
- It focuses on the self and relationship to the universe.

Buddhism
- This religious belief is founded by Siddhartha
Gautama Buddha
- The self is seen as an illusion born out of
ignorance, of trying to hold and control things, or
human- centered needs, thus the self is also the
source of all these suffering.
- The self, with all its connections and selfish ideas,
is totally taken, not just out of the center if the
picture, but out of the whole picture as a whole.
- It focuses on social values.

Western Thought
- Its focus is always looking towards self.
- Individualistic Culture
o Their focus is on the person

Eastern Thought
- It sees the other person as part of yourself as well as the things you may create,
a drama which everyone is interconnected with their specific roles. (Wolter 2012).

- Collectivist Culture
o Group and social relations is given more importance than individual needs
and wants.
Spiritual Self
Spiritual Self is one of the four constituents of the Self according to William James.

The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the
expression of religion, its beliefs and practices.

Religion
 Religion is as set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually includes some of
all the basic characteristics (Rebecca Stein 2011).

 Some of these characteristics are:

◦ A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being such as spirit such as
gods;
◦ A focus on sacred supernatural
◦ The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural
being

 Other characteristics are:

o Performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred
objects to communicate to supernatural beings
o Articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other
means
o Provide the creation of and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism
of social control within a community.

 The choice of religious beliefs lies within the spiritual self. Although the
choice may be influenced by society and its culture.

Rituals
 Rituals is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred
law (Penner 2017).

 Ritual is a specific and observable mode of

behavior exhibited by all known societies.

 Fundamental characteristics of Rituals

(Penner 2017):
o Feeling or emotion of respect, awe,
fascination, or dread in relation to
sacred.
o Dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the
language or myth.
o Symbolic in relation to its reference.

World Religious Practices

 Buddhism
o Founded by Gautama Buddha

o Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on Personal Spiritual Development.

They strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life.
 o Two streams of Buddhism
 Theravada
 Mahayana

o Beliefs
 Wheel of life or Wheel of becoming
View of the universe
 Karma
The law of cause and effect
 Four Noble Truths
 Suffering Exists
 There is a cause of suffering (Desire, Attachment)
 There is an end to suffering (Nirvana, Awakening)
 In order to end the suffering, you must follow the Eight Fold
Paths
 Eight Fold Paths
 Right understanding on of the Four Noble Truths
 Right thinking; following the right path in life
 Right speech
 Right conduct
 Right livelihood: without harming others
 Right effort to cleanse the mind of harmful thoughts and
desires
 Right mindfulness
 Right concentration

o Customs and Practices

 Festivals
 Parinirvana Day (February)
 Buddha Day (May)
 Dharma Day (July)
 Padmasambhava Day (October)
 Sangha Day (November)
 Meditation Practices
 Samatha and Vipassana
 Take refuge to
 Buddha (teacher)
 Dharma (teachings)
 Sangha (community)

 Hinduism
o Beliefs
 Hinduism is best understood as a complete way of life, a path of
sanctification, and a discipline that leads to a higher level of
consciousness.
 Hinduism has no founder.
 Hindus are often thought to be polytheist.
 Vedas are the sacred scriptures of Hindus.
  Veda/ vedas is a Sanskrit word which means knowledge
 Many of these scriptures is concerned with Dharma
 Dharma means duty, virtue and morality.
 It upholds the universe and the society.
 Hindus believed that the existence is a cycle of birth, death, and
rebirth governed by Karma
 Karma is a law that in every action has an equal reaction.

o Customs and Practices

 Hindus follow the lunar calendar and particular days are set aside
during the week or moth to honor manifestations of God.
 Festivals are celebrated by in different ways by different
communities
 Diwali- Festival of Light
 Navratri- nine nights which celebrate the triumph of
good over evil.
 Puja- (Hindu worship) Their worship involves images, prayers
and mantras.

 Islam
o Islam is an Arabic Word which means willing submission to God.

o Beliefs
 Mohammed is the last and final prophet
 He was born in mecca in 570 CE
 He received revelations from God through Angel Gabriel for almost
23 years.
 Islam’s holy book is Quran
 Polygamy- Having more
than one wife
 Hijab- Arabic word which
means barrier or partition
 Shahada- Belief that there
is no God but the one true
God and Mohammed is the messenger

o Customs and Practices

 Salat- Prayer five times a day
 Zakat- 2 ½ % of Muslims assets is given in welfare tax to benefit
the poor
 Hajj- Annual pilgripamge to Mecca- a requirement for once in a
lifetime
 Sawm- During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are required to
abstain from food, drinks and sexual acts from dawn until sunset.

 Christianity
o It is the world’s biggest
religion

o It is based on the teachings of

Jesus who lived in the Earth
2000 years ago.

o Beliefs
  There is one God in three person
 Father
 Son
 Holy Spirit
 Salvation is through faith on Jesus Christ
 Man is a sinner and needs a savior to be saved
 Jesus Christ was died, rose again, go to heaven and will come
back

o Customs and Practices

 Prayer and Fasting
 Reading the Holy Scripture (Bible)
 Attending Church Activities
 Fellowship with Believers
 Sharing the Word of God (Evangelism/ Missions)