MODULE 1 Topic 3

Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Sta. Rosa Del Norte, Pasacao, Camarines Sur, 4417
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.pasacao@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 513-9519
Module and Learning Management System
Topic 3: What culture says about the self
Introduction
What makes man as a man in the anthropological construction of the self is his own
culture. According to Edward Taylor, culture is a system of human behavior and thoughts
– knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law and customs, and other capabilities. Culture
greatly influences the self significantly in various components.
At the end of the lecture, one should be able to:
1. determine the different factors that contribute to one‘s being; 2.

evaluate the impact of these factors through self-appraisal.
Pre–Competency Checklist
1. What do you think is the essence of Culture?
LearnIng Resources
Text books:
Alata, E.J., Pastor; C., Bernardo N. Jr., Serafica, J.P., & Pawilen, R.A.. (2018).
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Understanding the Self: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Brawner, D. G. & Arcega, A. F. (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Electronic Sources:
Facing history and Ourselves. (n.d.). Individual and Society. Retrieved on July 1, 2021
from https://www.facinghistory.org/holocaust-and-human-
behavior/chapter1/introduction
Martinovich, M. (2017, June 1). Do you feel like we do? Stanford psychologists examine
how culture can guide giving. Stanford News.
https://news.stanford.edu/2017/06/01/psychologists-examine-culture-
guidinggiving/
Virtual Lab School (n.d.) Sense of Self: An Intorduction. Retrieved July 1, 2020 from
https://www.virtuallabschool.org/preschool/self-culture/lesson-1
Video clip:
Oragon. https://youtu.be/FXmjrd4YYP8
Oragon: https://fb.watch/71ij9RX3y0/
Explore
Overview of the Topic
Culture is something that is established as it works with the entirety of human

behavior. It plays an integral part in every individual‘s being These are the kinds of actions
that we are accustomed of. The following are the factors of cultural changes.
Before the discussion, the teacher should assign the students to read the article and
watch the mini-film. The teacher, as a facilitator, should introduce the fundamental
concepts of the topic.
Activity 1. This activity allows the students to be interactive and become familiar
with their classmates. They will choose their own group mates. Ideally the teacher will
fivide the class into ten groups. Each group will discuss with one another the topic
assigned with them. The group is expected to work with one another during the meeting.
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Activity 2. This activity will illustrate how students can grasp the topic assigned to
them as they are directed to present their group work for only 10 minutes.
Activity 3. This activity will promote a real-time reaction regarding the students' ideas
about the topic. The students are tasked to post a brief concept about their learning from
the topic on their FB wall.
Terminologies used in the topic
1. Colonial Mentality 6. Xenocentrism 11. Ethnocentrism

2. Culture Shock 7. Assimilation 12. Cultural lag
3. Resilience 8. Identity 13. Xenophobia
4. Culture 9. Social Norm 14. Acculturation
5. Environment 10. cognitive culture 15. Sense of Self
The Culture that Surrounds Us
The Material and Cognitive Component
The material represents all materials made in our culture while the cognitive culture is the
knowledge and skills that created the materials used in a group. Both have significance
in the make-up of oneself. The normative component governs the relationship of
individuals in the society which is called the social norm. Social Norm (folkways and
mores) has two components: formal (formally written in laws) and informal (generally
understood norms).
Explanations on the Existence of Culture

Culture exists because of the borrowing, imitation, discovering and reinventing of the
people within a society. It characterizes the behaviors of man‘s effort to maintain a
societal relations and orders. The trial and error caused to exist and dissolute the
accepted behaviors by the group of people within the society. It can also be a binding
factor to the society having norms to follow by the next set of generation. Indeed the
children are already introduced to the set of behaviors expected of them
Mechanism of Cultural Change
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The uniqueness and borrowed behaviors are debatable to the issue of culture. The
undeniable truth is its constant change. Change happened because nothing in life is
permanent. The communities evolved through time and therefore affected the cultural
set up that leads to its frequent changes.
The changes in culture are because of the following mechanisms (1) The first mechanism
is the change in technology affects largely the set of culture established in a society.
Though there are times that the introduction of a certain technology is not yet practiced
by many, we call it cultural lag. A cultural lag are the ways in communities that are no
longer practically needed and yet the people are not adapting to the advancement of
technology. It is an undesirable act inn a community where people never welcomed
changed and so the opportunities attached to it. (2) The second mechanism is the
cultural borrowing, discovery or inventions. Cultural borrowing is the adaption of one
dominant culture to another lesser kind of communities. It happened during the
colonization period. And the rapid acceptance of one‘s culture is called xenocentrism,
where a national identity can be lost in the process. (3) The third mechanism is the
attribution of culture to being (a) learned and shared, (b) being universal yet diverse,
and (c) being whole or integrated.
Different Ways of Accepting Culture: Ethnocentrism, Xenocentrism and Culture Shock
The culture is relatively different from one society to the other. The smaller groups may
tend to adapt the entire culture of the people. And the superior one may threatened the
other one. This usually happened in the course of time of the human history. The state of
intolerance of one group to the culture of another is called Culture shock and
xenophobia. The belief of one‘s culture which is inferior to the other is called
xenocentrism. These people are tolerating the changes brought by a stronger group is
called colonial mentality. These entire system were experienced by the Filipinos to their
conquerors. The superior culture then is called ethnocentrism. These kinds of people in
the society thought of them as the all-powerful group that there is no need to borrow
anyone‘s culture because theirs are the best one.
The Social Process of Culture: Assimilation, Acculturation, Amalgamation
The cultural changed is prevalent because of the constant adaptation to the more
conveneient ways of living. And in spreading cultures, these are the various ways to
adapt: assimilation, acculturation, and amalgamation
Assimilation is the openly acceptance of a new culture as people regard this particular
culture as an existing culture which replaced the old one. Acculturation is the
acceptance of new culture without replacing the old ways of the society.
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Amalgamation is the combination of the old and new culture that produces a new breed
of culture in a society.
With these processes of culture, it is clearly showing the evident ways of understanding
why individuals behave in such a manner. Culture is a proof of defining a character of
man in a certain society.
(Please continue to read the attached readings below)
Activity 1. Let‟s Group Together
1. As a group, create an identity chart for the bicolanos based on the video you
watched? Use labels to identify his identity based on the concept presented. Explain
below the consequences of identifying new identity for the Bicolanos by the Spaniards?
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Individual Activity. Create your own self-chart and identify and explain three characters
influenced to you by other people.
Activity 2. Tell Me Your Opinion

1. the group will be given time to explain their works.
Activity 3. Post your opinion

1. Each student will summarize their understanding in one sentence of their idea about
the topic and post it in their own social media account with a hashtag #GEC3Topic3
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DIscus sion Board
1. Do you think knowing an individual‘s culture is a key to understanding the self?

Explain why or why not?
2. Taking a closer look at the attached readings, what do you think is the role of
culture in the lives of individuals? How does it strengthen and weaken the person?
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Post–Competency Checklist
1. What is the essence of culture to the understanding of oneself?
QuIz
To be arranged
Additional Reading Materials
Continuation of the topic…
Individual and Society
We begin to learn our culture—the ways of our society—just after birth. That
process is called socialization, and it involves far more than schooling. Our culture shapes
the way we work and play, and it makes a difference in how we view ourselves and
others. It affects our values—what we consider right and wrong. This is how the society
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we live in influences our choices. But our choices can also influence others and ultimately
help shape our society.
Imagine that you encounter a stranger walking down the street. How might you
describe the person? What labels would you use? We know that every person is different
from any other in countless ways, yet when we encounter others we often rely on
generalizations to describe them. ―It's a natural tendency,‖ says psychologist Deborah
Tannen. ―We must see the world in patterns in order to make sense of it; we wouldn‘t be
able to deal with the daily onslaught of people and objects if we couldn‘t predict a lot
about them and feel that we know who and what they are."
Our society—through its particular culture, customs, institutions, and more—

provides us with the labels we use to categorize the people we encounter. These labels
are based on beliefs about race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, economic
class, and more. Sometimes our beliefs about these categories are so strong that they
prevent us from seeing the unique identities of others. Sometimes these beliefs also make
us feel suspicion, fear, or hatred toward some members of our society. Other times,
especially when we are able to get to know a person, we are able to see past labels
and, perhaps, find common ground.
What is a Sense of Self?
Our sense of self includes the roles, attributes, behaviors, and associations that we
consider most important about ourselves, according to Mark Ylvisaker, a researcher in
communication disorders (2006). Examples of things that help to develop who we are as
individuals can include our occupations, hobbies, affiliations, abilities, personality traits,
and spiritual beliefs. How we identify and how we feel about ourselves is largely the result
of our environment and immediate surroundings. For example, if you are a member of
an encouraging or nurturing environment, you are more likely to feel accepted and self-
confident in your abilities. Whereas, if you are part of a unsupportive or negative
environment, you may have difficulty discovering who you are due to a lack of
acceptance and encouragement to explore your interests and positive attributes. Think
of a person you know who is confident in his or her ability to perform a particular task or
skill. Chances are this individual has received positive feedback and
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support from others, which helped to further the development of these skills and foster a
sense of identity.
As we grow and mature, our identities can also change depending on time and
place. Relationships, parenthood, and life events can help shape our identities. Think
back to who you were 10 years ago. Do you feel like the same person now? Whether you
were 19 or 59 a decade ago, it is likely that your concept of who you are has changed
in some way. Perhaps you have accomplished major goals like earning a degree or
starting a family and these events have changed how you see yourself. Perhaps
experiences like caring for an aging parent or ending a long-term relationship have
called into question things you thought you knew about yourself.
Your interactions with others can also shape your sense of self. For example, if your
family praises your cooking ability you may come to believe that you are a good cook.
However, if you were to enroll in a cooking class, your perception of your abilities may
change when you are in the company of others with similar or more advanced culinary
talents. In this example, your sense of self was altered, though your ability to cook
remained the same. Your sense of self was not judged to be true or false, but rather good
enough or not good enough because of the situation. If you truly enjoy cooking, though,
and gain joy from it regardless of who else is in your presence, you are less likely to need
encouragement from others because you are motivated from within.
What is Self-Concept?
―As children develop an appreciation of their inner mental world, they think more
intently about themselves. During early childhood . . . children begin to construct a
selfconcept which is the set of attributes, abilities, attitudes, and values that an individual
believes defines who he or she is.‖ (Berk, 2003, p. 444).
As you think about your own life, you may recall specific times when you became
aware of particular circumstances that reinforced your own self-concept. Perhaps it was
during a school or sports activity, a theatrical or musical performance, or another event
when you realized you had accomplished a goal (either alone or with others) that you
had set for yourself. Achieving goals you set and accomplishing tasks that required you
to stretch beyond your comfort zone helped you develop a positive selfconcept. The
relationships that you had with caring adults in your life (e.g., parents, grandparents,
teachers, coaches, etc.) nurtured your self-concept as you learned about your unique
abilities, gifts, and talents. Multiple factors, including cultural background, experiences,
and, most importantly, relationships with adults and peers affect the development of a
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child‘s self- concept. Just as your own experiences and early relationships with family
members and peers have influenced the development of your self-concept, so, too, will
you and your staff create positive experiences that assist the children in your care to learn
about themselves.
What does a Sense of Self Mean for Preschoolers?
Adults are able to view themselves in numerous dimensions and can describe
themselves in detail with many distinctions in ability and worth within these dimensions,
according to sociologist Viktor Gecas (1982). Many years of life experiences have
accumulated to shape a pronounced, unwavering, and realistic sense of self. Young
children are still developing and their sense of self is not as complex or established as an
adult‘s. Preschoolers are just beginning to understand their own unique characteristics
and their place in the world. They view themselves in broad terms across a few
dimensions, specifically, physical abilities, academic abilities, social competence, and
social acceptance (Marsh, 2002; Measelle, 1998). Preschool children see and define
themselves primarily in physical terms (Marshall, 1989). When asked to describe
themselves they will most often reply with physical actions such as, ―I can run fast‖ and
―I am a big kid. I can go potty all by myself‖ or physical traits such as ―I am a girl and I
have brown hair.‖ Occasionally preschoolers may go on to list their likes and dislikes
(Marshall, 1989). Preschoolers see themselves and others in a ―this or that‖ perspective,
such as entirely good or bad and do not understand a person may be both at the same
time.
The experiences that occur during the early years lay the foundation for an
individual‘s sense of self, and once a perception is established it can be enduring (Marsh,
2002). A child whose culminating experiences cause him to view herself or himself as
good or capable will likely carry on this confidence throughout her or his life, whereas a
child who is consistently made to feel bad or inept early in life may have a difficult time
seeing herself or himself as anything else later on.
Significant relationships will have the most influence on a child‘s sense of self,
typically beginning with the family members, and later including teachers and peers. A
teacher may be the first person to influence how a child feels about his or her academic
abilities. A teacher can also have tremendous impact on how children engage in social
interactions with each other.
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What is Resilience?
According to Michele Tugade and Barbara Fredrickson (2004), there are individuals
who seem to bounce back from negative events quite effectively, whereas others are
caught in a rut, seemingly unable to get out of their struggling and negative streaks. Being
able to move on despite negative stressors demonstrates a concept known as resilience.
Someone who is said to be resilient is effective at coping and adapting even when faced
with loss, hardship, or adversity. That is not to say that they are blind to negativity or do
not experience high levels of anxiety and frustration. Instead, someone who is resilient
chooses to focus on positive aspects and emotions of the situation at a greater rate.
Every child has an opportunity to develop and enhance personal characteristics

and other strengths that act as protective factors or help create a protective barrier to
misfortune and change. These strengths, or protective factors, are developed within the
context of important, safe and responsive relationships with caring adults. They can also
be strengthened by protective factors found within the environments in which the child
plays and lives, as well as within the child himself or herself. The within-self protective
factors are closely tied to the development of self and social and emotional well-being.
What Role does Culture Play?
Culture helps define how individuals see themselves and how they relate to others.
Remember that individuals differ in many ways: language diversity, cultural diversity,
gender diversity, religious diversity, and economic diversity (Selmi, Gallagher, &
MoraFlores, 2015). All of these aspects of diversity work together to form your sense of self.
It is important for you to respect others' cultures and to acknowledge and

understand that individuals may not develop a sense of self in the same manner. A
family‘s cultural values shape the development of its child‘s self-concept: Culture shapes
how we each see ourselves and others. For example, some cultures prefer children to be
quiet and respectful when around adults. This does not indicate that a quiet child lacks
self-confidence. It is important to remember that not all families reinforce the mainstream
American cultural values of individualism, competition, and assertiveness. Young children
learn and absorb the stories told to them that often emphasize a family‘s values and
affect a child‘s self-concept. As children grow older and attend school and spend leisure
time with their peers, they learn that others may not have the same values as their family.
For instance, a family may value academics over playing sports while another family may
value the arts and learning to play a musical instrument. Each family influences a child‘s
self-concept within their cultural context. Young children may describe themselves based
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upon their family‘s values (for example, a young child from a culture that stresses fitting
in with others as a strong value may describe herself as ―kind‖ while another child from a
culture that stresses individualism may describe herself as ―a good runner‖). As a
preschool teacher, you assume the important task of nurturing young children‘s sense of
self, and you must carefully observe and listen to each child.
Two of the most studied aspects of culture related to the sense of self are
independence and interdependence. Independence views individuals as separate from
one another, and ideas such as self-esteem, individual choices, and assertiveness are
valued. Interdependence means more value is placed on the group, and ideas like
conformity, concern for others, and group decision-making are valued. Children come
from families and cultures that value independence and interdependence in different
ways at different times.
According to developmental psychologist Catherine Raeff (2010), culture can

influence how you, your coworkers, and the families you serve view:
Relationships: Culture influences how you enter into and maintain relationships. For
example, relationships may be seen as voluntary or as duty-based. This influences
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how adults encourage children to form relationships: Do they choose whom to play with
or are children encouraged to play in certain ways to promote group welfare?
Personality traits: Culture influences whether and how you value traits like humility,
self-esteem, politeness, and assertiveness. Culture also influences how you perceive
hardship and how you feel about relying on others.
Achievement: Culture influences how you define success and whether you value
certain types of individual and group achievements.
Expressing emotions: Culture influences how and whether you consider feelings
public or private.
How Does Your Culture Influence the People You Trust?
According to a new study, we're more generous toward people when they
express emotions valued by our culture.
How can culture influence giving? Some scholars have argued that people are more
likely to share with others who are similar in terms of race or sex, but the evidence for this
is mixed.
A new study by Stanford psychologists, which appeared recently in Social

Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, suggests, however, that similar emotional
expressions can motivate giving, and can do so even more than a common race or sex.
Since culture drives people‘s tendency to value similar emotions in others—a

phenomenon dubbed ―ideal affect match‖—the research clarifies a new way that
culture can influence giving and potentially provide insights about organizations‘
philanthropic efforts.
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Cultural differences in ideal affect
Previous research from Jeanne Tsai,

an associate professor of psychology at
Stanford, has examined the relationship
between culture and emotion with a focus
on European Americans and East Asians.
This research suggested that while

European Americans typically want to feel
states of excitement (high-arousal positive
states), Asians instead prefer to feel states of
calmness (low-arousal positive states). Thus,
people tended to like others who showed the emotional states that they themselves
wished to feel—―ideal affect match.‖
That led Tsai, along with co-authors BoKyung Park, Elizabeth Blevins, and Brian
Knutson, to wonder whether ideal affect match could influence not only liking, but also
willingness to allocate actual money to a stranger.
When will a dictator give?
In the first study, the researchers examined groups of European American and
Korean college students. After measuring their actual affect (how people feel) and ideal
affect (how they want to feel), the researchers had participants play a series of Dictator
Games—a game in which one person (the ―dictator‖) decides whether to distribute their
money to other players (potential recipients).
While participants were always assigned to play the dictator, different potential
recipients were depicted with computer-generated avatars that varied in terms of their
emotional expression, race, and sex. Afterwards, participants rated how much they
trusted each of the potential recipients they had encountered.
The researchers found that while European Americans gave more to the recipients
whose expressions conveyed excitement (i.e., open, toothy smiles), Korean students
gave more to recipients whose expressions conveyed calm (i.e., closed smiles). Further,
European Americans rated excited recipients as more trustworthy, but Koreans rated
calm recipients as more trustworthy.
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However, common race and sex had little effect on sharing or inferred trust.
―These findings suggest that emotional expression—and whether or not it matches

people‘s ideal affect—may play a more powerful role in resource sharing than even race
or sex,‖ said Tsai, director of Stanford‘s Culture and Emotion Lab.
Scanning for answers
So what about ideal affect match

could motivate people to share with others?
Was it the way that a matching stranger
made them feel or the belief that they
shared values? To find out, the researchers
ran a second study in which European
Americans and Koreans played repeated
Dictator Games—this time, while undergoing
functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI). Afterwards, participants again rated
potential recipients‘
trustworthiness and other characteristics, including friendliness and intelligence.
When they saw faces whose expressions matched their ideal affect, the scans
revealed decreased activity in the brain‘s right temporo-parietal junction, which is
associated with perceiving that others hold different beliefs, according to Tsai. One
interpretation of this decreased activity is that participants assumed the recipients shared
their values. This interpretation aligns with the fact that participants tended to trust and
share more with recipients whose ideal affect matched their own.
Tsai said that, traditionally, it has been difficult for researchers to identify which emotional
expressions generate trust. This may be because they vary by culture. These findings help
explain why people from different cultures might trust people with different emotional
expressions.
―Together, these data suggest that part of the power of ideal affect match is that
it sends an implicit signal that someone else shares our beliefs and values, which in turn
makes them more trustworthy, and promotes giving,‖ Tsai said.
Enhancing sharing across cultures
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The study challenges established research notions about in-group identity, or the
cues that people use to identify themselves as belonging to a group. The findings
specifically suggest that malleable cues related to mutual emotional values can
overpower more static cues like sex and race.
The results imply that when dealing with other cultures, people may overcome
traditional categories by understanding and expressing shared emotional values. Since
emotional expressions are easier to modify, the findings suggest more flexible ways of
enhancing trust and sharing across cultures.
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Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Module and Learning Management System

Topic 3: What culture says about the self

At the end of the lecture, one should be able to:

1. determine the different factors that contribute to one‘s being; 2.

1. What do you think is the essence of Culture?

Understanding the Self: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Overview of the Topic

Culture is something that is established as it works with the entirety of human

Terminologies used in the topic

1. Colonial Mentality 6. Xenocentrism 11. Ethnocentrism

The Culture that Surrounds Us

The Material and Cognitive Component

Explanations on the Existence of Culture

Mechanism of Cultural Change

Different Ways of Accepting Culture: Ethnocentrism, Xenocentrism and Culture Shock

(Please continue to read the attached readings below)

Activity 1. Let‟s Group Together

Activity 2. Tell Me Your Opinion

Activity 3. Post your opinion

DIscus sion Board

1. Do you think knowing an individual‘s culture is a key to understanding the self?

1. What is the essence of culture to the understanding of oneself?

Additional Reading Materials

Continuation of the topic…

Individual and Society

Our society—through its particular culture, customs, institutions, and more—

What is a Sense of Self?

What does a Sense of Self Mean for Preschoolers?

Every child has an opportunity to develop and enhance personal characteristics

What Role does Culture Play?

It is important for you to respect others' cultures and to acknowledge and

According to developmental psychologist Catherine Raeff (2010), culture can

How Does Your Culture Influence the People You Trust?

A new study by Stanford psychologists, which appeared recently in Social

Since culture drives people‘s tendency to value similar emotions in others—a

Cultural differences in ideal affect

Previous research from Jeanne Tsai,

This research suggested that while

When will a dictator give?

―These findings suggest that emotional expression—and whether or not it matches

Scanning for answers

So what about ideal affect match

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