LESSON 2

Sociological Perspective of the Self

INTRODUCTION
This module explains the different sociological perspective of the self. It discusses an understandable
view of the concepts and differences of the “I” and the “Me”. Discussions and activities are also included
in this module after each end of a lesson.

OBJECTIVES
After studying the module, you should be able to:
1. Differentiate the various views of the self.
2. Illustrate how these views are applied in real life.
3. Evaluate how the process of socialization creates the self.
4. Understand Mead’s perspective of the Social Self

INTRODUCTION

When you are asked the most difficult question, “Who are you?”, What is the first answer that you would
give? Most if not all would answer, “My name is; I live in; I’m ___ years old; My hobbies are; and so on.
Basically, you would give biological facts about who you are but from the perspective of sociology, you
genetic make-up and biology do not define who you really are because when you are born, society sees
you as “barbarians” with no sense of self at all.

DEFINITION OF SOCIOLOGY

Sociology is the scientific study of society, including patterns of relationships, social interaction, and
culture. It focuses primarily on the influence of social relationship on your attitudes and behavior. It is,
therefore imperative to have a deeper realization about the sociological perspective of the self for you to
be more sensitive and tolerant of people different from you.

1. The Self as Product of Modern Society

Modernity differs from all preceding forms of social order because of its dynamism, its deep
undercutting of traditional habits and customs, and its global impact. It also radically alters the
general nature of daily life and the most personal aspects of human activity. In fact, one of the
most distinctive features of modernity is the increasing interconnection between globalizing
influences and personal dispositions.
According to Manheim, author of the book Sociological Research and Philosophy, modernization
is the destruction of the self; in other words, modernization delocalizes the self. In pre modern
 times, people’s significant decisions were not analyzed and thought of so much because choices
were already prescribed by their traditions and customs. In the modern societies, however, people
frequently ask questions like what to do, who to be, and how to act. Look at your surroundings
and you will see people who are compelled to make significant choices from everyday questions
about clothing, appearance, and leisure to high-impact decisions about relationships, beliefs, and
occupations.
2. The Self as a Necessary Fiction

Nietzsche was interested in experience. His questions included “What kind of person would write
this?” “What are the concerns of someone who would believe this?” “What did the person who
wrote this suffer from?”  Nietzsche believed that the only ‘real’ world we can be certain of is the
one we experience. He was deeply disturbed by human suffering and profoundly troubled by
human cruelty. An extension of these apprehensions was his interest in how to embrace this
physical life and live it to the fullest without denying the pain and uncertainty inherent in the
human condition.

Nietzsche used two methods of philosophizing: 1) the psychological, wherein he searched for
hidden motivation, and 2) the historical, through which he studied the development of concepts.
He wanted to know how a concept evolved and came to be accepted as a truth. In short, Nietzsche
was interested in motivation, both conscious and unconscious.

WHAT ARE NIETZSCHE’S NECESSARY FICTIONS?

They are beliefs that cannot be proven to be true and sometimes can be proven false, but are,
nonetheless, necessary to sustain life.  They are convictions that satisfy the need for stability.
Nietzsche contends that all belief systems are ‘necessary fictions.’  They are fictions because they
cannot be proven. They are necessary because without them we would be rudderless in a world of
chaos.

For the psychoanalyst, a necessary fiction is, I propose, a narrative that helps the patient
understand their feelings, choices and behaviors. These fictions are necessary because people
need some sense of certainty in a world of constant change. Necessary fictions create meaning out
of the chaos of lived experiences. They are formulations about what feelings and behaviors mean
at a given time.  One’s experiences can be organized into a coherent and inclusive story, but that
story cannot be proven. Hence it is illusory and temporary.

3. Postmodern View of the Self

Postmodernists argue that stable institutions in the ancient times such as families, the church, and
any other social institutions that used to blind communities and individuals do not have much
influence as how you perceive yourself now. This is do because in postmodern societies,
globalization, media, and technology as well as consumerism have a more effective influence on
how you construct yourself and culture.
 It was mentioned in our earlier discussions that part of our mission is to discover our own
cohesive, whole or true self, but as postmodern humans by nature, you have no authentic self,
meaning your self-identity keeps on changing, and being redefined by the kind of society you are
associated with. So, finding the true, cohesive self cannot be obtained in postmodern society.

4. The Self as an Artistic Creation

Artistic creation of oneself means giving one’s life a form and meaning that does not simply
follow established norms.
One chooses how to give form and meaning to their lives instead of allowing others to give form
and meaning to their lives. Moreover, this choice is continuous. One continuously gives their life
form and meaning anew. Whatever they choose in life, they choose over and over again to give it
form and meaning.
Life is not a one-way path; there are various detours, curves and occasional accidents. This
detours can actually present opportunities for yourself to be reconstructed or rewritten the best
way you want it to appear to the reader or to the viewer. The important thing is that you have
created yourself an identity as artistic creation.

MEAD AND THE SOCIAL SELF

George Herbert Mead, a sociologist from the late 1800s, is well known for his theory of the
social self, which includes the concepts of 'self,' 'me,' and 'I.' In this lesson, we will explore
Mead's theory and gain a better understanding of what is meant by the terms 'me' and 'I.' We will
also discuss the concept, derived out of Mead's work, of the looking-glass self.
Mead's work focuses on the way in which the self is developed. Mead's theory of the social
self 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, and internalizing
external opinions and internal feelings about oneself. The social aspect of self is an important
distinction because other sociologists and psychologists of Mead's time felt that the self was
based on biological factors and inherited traits. According to Mead, the self is not there from
birth, but it is developed over time from social experiences and activities.

DEVELOPMENT OF SELF
According to Mead, three activities develop the self: language, play, and games.
Language develops self by allowing individuals to respond to each other through symbols,
gestures, words, and sounds. Language conveys others' attitudes and opinions toward a subject or
the person. Emotions, such as anger, happiness, and confusion, are conveyed through language.
Play develops self by allowing individuals to take on different roles, pretend, and express
expectation of others. Play develops one's self-consciousness through role-playing. During role-
play, a person is able to internalize the perspective of others and develop an understanding of how
others feel about themselves and others in a variety of social situations.
 Games develop self by allowing individuals to understand and adhere to the rules of the activity.
Self is developed by understanding that there are rules in which one must abide by in order to win
the game or be successful at an activity.

TWO SIDES OF SELF: ME & I

According to Mead's theory, the self has two sides or phases: 'me' and 'I.'
The 'me' is considered the socialized aspect of the individual. The 'me' represents learned
behaviors, attitudes, and expectations of others and of society. This is sometimes referred to as
the generalized other. The 'me' is considered a phase of the self that is in the past. The 'me' has
been developed by the knowledge of society and social interactions that the individual has gained.
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 'I' says, 'Okay. Society says I should
behave and socially interact one way, and I think I should act the same (or perhaps different),' and
that notion becomes self.
The 'me' and the 'I' have a didactic relationship, like a system of checks and balances. The 'me'
exercises societal control over one's self. The 'me' is what prevents someone from breaking the
rules or boundaries of societal expectations. The 'I' allows the individual to still express creativity
and individualism and understand when to possibly bend and stretch the rules that govern social
interactions. The 'I' and the 'me' make up the self.

“I” “Me”
 The response to the me  The social self
 The response of an individual to the  The organized set of attitudes of
attitudes of others others which an individual assumes
 The individual’s impulses  The accumulated understanding of the
 The self as the subject generalized others
 The knower  The self as an object
 The known

References:
David L. Miller, "Josiah Royce and George H. Mead on the Nature of the Self", Transactions of the
Charles S. Peirce Society, Summer 1975, vol. XI, no.2, p. 67-89.
Alex Gillespie. "Position exchange: The social development of agency". New Ideas in
Psychology. 30 (1): 32–46.
Ritzer, George (2004). Encyclopedia of Social Theory. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.
p. 491. ISBN  0-7619-2611-9.