Sociological & Anthropological Self

According to George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), how individuals see themselves is based
on their interaction with the society. In contrast to the philosophical understanding of the
self, which is more directed to a conscious self, the anthropological and sociological
perspectives look into the external world, particularly culture and society as factors
influencing self-identity.
In the anthropology of self, one learns about how culture, which continues to evolve,
contributes to the development of self-identity.
On the other hand, in the sociology of self, one learns about the perception of others and
the modern society, both of which shape one’s self-identity.

The Self in the Anthropological Process

The self reflects how adapting to social environments increases the chances of human
survival. This evolutionary process involves how one’s identity is established.
The elements of culture are efficient tools for harmonious social interactions and
coexistence.
But what is culture?
Culture refers to a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that
are transmitted from generation to generation through learning and that the members of
society use to cope with their world and with one another (Bates & Plog, 1990). In its classic
conceptualization, culture is learned, shared, symbolic, integrated, and adaptive
(Tylor, 1871).
CULTURE IS LEARNED, SHARED, SYMBOLIC, AND INTEGRATED. It is instrumental in
ensuring human survival through promoting cooperation and imposing punishment or
social sanctions for those who violate social rules. Also, it plays a significant role in
transmitting traditions and practices and in recognizing behaviors and innovations that
greatly contribute to the betterment of society. Thus, identities are multifaceted products
of cultural adaptation. They are shaped by not only individual perceptions of the self, but
also what ancestors transmitted through generations and the learnings shared in a social
environment.
CULTURE IS AN ONGOING EVENT. In a process called enculturation, one learns about
culture from birth and makes use of it in interacting with others. They have beliefs and
values that their family members encourage; they observe family customs; and they show
behaviors that are acceptable not only to their elders but also to other people like their
peers.
Cultural symbols have the same meaning for people in a group or community. They may be
verbal or nonverbal behaviors, sounds, objects, or images. As individuals interact with
one another, symbols are produced and learned, and they become significant. 
CULTURE IS COMPLEX. Its elements, including ideas, experiences, events, facilitate its
survival and transmission from generation to generation. For instance, the Filipino culture is
family-oriented and religious and the dynamics of these two encourage the preservation of
the Filipino identity.
CULTURE IS A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING PROCESS. It adapts to the social and
environmental pressures through time and ensures its transmission to succeeding
generations. It serves to bind people and ensure their survival. The social sanctions
imposed in one’s culture are a way to ensure that the cultural values are being practiced.
Human ancestors formed groups to ensure survival. They gave utmost importance to
cooperation, which eventually reflected in various cultures. In an anthropological process,
individuals identify with a group. Eventually, each one puts an effort to establish    a   self-
identity.   Culture, in general, has a large influence on the self. Feelings, thoughts, and
behaviors are reflections of the culture that encompass others within the environment.
The moment one is born, one is influenced by the cultural traditions and practices of parents
who are also largely influenced by the broader cultural environment. One learns from
culture how to feel, think, and act. The more one immerses in the social environment, the
more one learns and is influenced by the culture. Because culture is efficiently
transmitted through interaction with groups, one’s own identity is largely connected to
the group that shares the same culture.

The Self in the Sociological Process

Social interactions form a huge part of how one establishes an identity.
The self is a two way feedback. 
American sociologist Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929) suggested that individuals see
themselves through their interaction with others. A person sees oneself in the feelings,
thoughts, and actions of others.
In the words of George Herbert Mead (Mead & Morris, 1935), “the self is social.” Members
of the society learn and show behaviors that the society deems proper and acceptable .
The expectations of what should and what should not be done in different social situations
are referred to as norms.
In sociology, there are four types of norms, namely, folkways, mores, taboos,
and laws (Andersen &Taylor,2009). 
 Folkways refer to day-to-day behaviors that people show in social situations like
praying before meals. 
 Mores, on the other hand, are norms that pertain to morality. Violations of such
result in social sanctions like being frowned upon or scolded for disrespecting elders. 
 Taboos are more stringent than mores such that mentioning or engaging in such
behaviors can elicit extreme negative reaction from others in the society like
incest being practiced in some cultural minority groups. Finally, 
 laws are written expectations on how an individual should behave in social
situations. This type of norm is enforced by an authority in society.
In general, seeing the self through interactions with others and the socially expected
feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are sociological factors that influence self- identity. In
contrast to the anthropological influence on self-identity, the sociological understanding of
the self focuses on how societal expectations influence identity. Thus, one is influenced not
just by the people and culture in one’s proximity, but also by the people and culture
that are apart from one’s immediate environment due to technological advancements
exponentially reaching almost all corners of the world. Also, globalization, the process
of the technology-aided widespread of social capital and information across the globe (Held,
McGrew, Goldblatt, & Perraton, 2000), has influenced how one establishes self-identity.
Today, massive amounts of information are available and readily accessible in different
forms of media, including radio, television, and the Web. This is what the American
sociologist Orrin Edgar Klapp (1915–1997) referred to as information explosion. This
phenomenon influences not only one’s view of the world, but also how one views the self in
relation to others. One learns about how others from different countries construe
themselves through his or her exposure in social media. In turn, such constant exposure to
the web influences how one construes oneself.
The most influential innovation in the 21st century is the Internet and how it changes the
process of socialization through the social media applications. Such innovation forces one’s
culture to adapt and even change. This is referred to as the adaptive culture (Ogburn, 1966).
Even one’s feelings and thoughts are influenced by the social media.
In general, the increasing and encompassing social world is largely influential on the
self. The self is the product not only of how one establishes it but also of one’s interaction;
it is not only with proximate people and culture, but also with the globalized world.
However, the self has free will in a sociological process, and it is capable of deliberation
becoming in charge of establishing his/her self-identity.
Knowing more about one’s identity requires self-reflection. Interestingly, being in a place
with a different culture activates one’s self-reflection and imagination about the self. In a
country or place where the culture is different from one’s own, one experiences culture
shock, a stressful response when individuals experience the ways of a new culture other
than theirs and are pressured to adapt to such new ways. However, such experience can
become fruitful if it is used as an opportunity to examine one’s self in a deeper level.

Self-Identity Reflection
After the discussion on the anthro-sociological perspectives of the self, you have understood how one's
external world contributes to the shaping of an individual's self-identity.

Share your thoughts on the following questions to the class:

1. What two most important characteristics of your self-identity do you think are influenced both by
the culture and the societal expectations?
 I think the most important characteristics of my self-identity with the influence of culture and
societal expectations are my personality and beliefs on how I view things. Like from the choices I
make to the decisions I try to avoid actually stems from both expectations and to the way I
choose to engage with people. Especially in this contemporary world, I choose to take my time
before acting on my thoughts.

2. Based on your self-reflection, what image/branding have you created for yourself in your social
media accounts?
 Somehow, I established a reserve image on my social media accounts and I don’t post my
personal life on my social media accounts because I like keeping things private and, as much as
possible, I’m avoiding the need for validation from someone I don’t even know personally and
for some security reasons.

3. Is there a difference between your self-identity in real life with that of your virtual identity on
social media? Why or why not?
 Yes, there is a difference between my self-identity in real life and that of my virtual identity.
Because my self-identity in real life defines who I am, this is where I express myself truly. This
may involve some factors that I can control, like my decisions or interests, and those I can’t.
In all, my self-identity in real life is how I perceive myself, but in my virtual identity, somehow,
there’s a need to change in order to fit in, like you need to be someone else to be in. This
actually happened when people in the virtual world identified my identity in their own
perception.

You are required to interact with at least four (4) of your classmates by responding to their answers. Feel
free to share how you see them and relate this to how they see themselves. Always be respectful in your
comments.

Socio-Anthropological Perspective Quiz